Posted in Zen Buddhism

Our Enemies are Unskillful Means

Posted on by Myodo

I wrote about unskillful means last month: greed, hatred, and ignorance.  The Big Three.  The root of all of our troubles. I think they even underlie attachment.  We are attached to our likes (greed), our dislikes (hatred), and our views (ignorance).

I am reminded of this today, reading the words of Brother Trung Hai, Dharma Teacher at Bat Nha Monastery, where 130 monks and 230 nuns and aspirants have just been violently evicted by communist Vietnamese forces:

We do not blame anyone. We have no anger toward anyone. We know that our enemies are not people; they are greed, hatred and ignorance.

Thanks, Brother.  I will keep your wisdom in mind as I chant, pray, and write my elected officials.

Author:

Ven. Dr. Myodo Jabo (Sandy Gougis) is a Zen Master and Priest in the Five Mountain Zen Order. She began studying Theravâdin Buddhism in 1998, adding Zen in 2003, and Vajrayana Buddhism in 2008. She currently practices in both the Zen and Tibetan traditions. Her Zen teacher is Most Ven. Wonji Dharma of the Five Mountain Zen Order, and her Tibetan guru is Lama Tsultrim Allione of Tara Mandala. In her free time, Myodo enjoys painting, jewelry making, and other creative endeavors.

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