Abandon what is unskillful,
One can abandon the unskillful,
If it were not possible, I would not ask you to do so.
If this abandoning of the unskillful would bring harm and suffering,
I would not ask you to abandon it.
But as the abandoning of the unskillful brings benefit and happiness,
Therefore, I say, “Abandon what is unskillful.”
Cultivate the good,
You can cultivate the good.
If it were not possible, I would not ask you to do it.
If this cultivation of the good would bring harm and suffering,
I would not ask you to cultivate it.
But as the cultivation of the good brings benefit and happiness,
Therefore, I say, “Cultivate the good.”
~The Buddha
may we seek out all of those things that bring us deeper into knowing, regardless of strength required, judgments made, and howling wind and rain…..
inquiry for today~ how do you “cultivate the good” when it’s most needed?
I think this beautifully exemplifies the extraordinary compassion of the Buddha. The mind of the Buddha sees not good and bad people, but suffering and the end of suffering, and exhorts those heading toward suffering through greed or anger or fear to take care, to pay attention, to see how much more they are capable of, rather than condemning them. He sees those heading toward the end of suffering through wisdom and loving-kindnes and rejoices for them. It is a passage that inspires our sincere efforts. In the end, these ideas of how to live a better life aren’t something to admire from afar or hold in an abstract way. We need to experiment with them, breathe life into them, see how they affect our minds and hearts, and see where they take us. Turning our lives in the direction of kindness can be done. It can only bring benefit and happiness. I can do it. You can do it. Otherwise, the Buddha would not have asked us to do so. ~Sharon Salzberg
