Saturday, December 18, 2010

No Cruelty In the Name of Love

 
Whenever I see someone beat an animal, I do not become angry at them, or want to punish them, because those are exactly the thoughts they are experiencing. 

Whenever I see someone otherwise being cruel to an animal, I do not think of harming the person in any way, because the thought of harm is exactly what they are experiencing. 

Instead, I try to cultivate thoughts of kindness, understanding, patience, and forgiveness toward the person, for that is exactly what they are lacking. 

With those thoughts in mind, you can fearlessly enter any situation, and quickly bring peace. 

You may not believe this, but I have found through experience that it is true.

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2 reader comments:

carvar said...

I don't know if I would be able to forgive because an act as cruel as hurting something as innocent as an animal is simply unacceptable.

Jin B said...

If you do not understand the aggressor and allow them to at least have their own space (if not completely supporting every conclusion they've reached - which can an effective dis-arming strategy) then you cannot improve the overall situation. You only impose your will over everything. Which granted, in the short run is so much better for the aggressed upon, but by criminalizing the perpetrator, you've created a cage for that soul to rot in. Which makes the world a worse place. Transformation is possible through sudden and unconditional empathy. Thanks for the inspiration, Rock On, Tenpa!