Can we be kind even to people we find difficult?
When I was lost in thought, I suddenly remembered something unpleasant that happened to me when I was small.
Perhaps it was triggered by just a small word. Perhaps there was no ill will in it. But at that time, I felt that the other person had ill will toward me, and I came to feel uncomfortable with that person. I think everyone has had similar experiences, to a greater or lesser degree.
Can we be kind to such people?
At that time, once I thought someone had ill will toward me, I regarded that person as hostile and avoided them. I was afraid that if we met face to face, we would end up fighting, and I could not treat them kindly. But now, my instinct is to be kind to them. I would like to think about why I came to feel that way.
All people are connected
For example, suppose you lose something, and it is delivered to the police box as lost property. It returned to you because someone picked it up and brought it there. Even if the person who delivered it was a complete stranger, a new connection with another person was formed through that object. Even if, by chance, the person who delivered it was someone you found difficult, there can still be a connection born from that person’s kindness in bringing your lost item back.
In this way, there are times when we receive kindness without even knowing it. Even without our awareness, as long as we live, many connections can arise by chance. In any case, all people are connected in some way.
Let us create a kind world
In the Vimalakirti Sutra, there is a passage that says, “Because all sentient beings are ill, therefore I too am ill.” When Vimalakirti, a lay practitioner, fell ill, Manjushri Bodhisattva went to visit him. These words were Vimalakirti’s answer to Manjushri Bodhisattva’s question, “How can this illness come to an end?” If we look at the other side of these words, we can say that when people’s illnesses are healed, one’s own illness is also healed.
The problems of others are also our own problems. This is because, in life, countless connections arise, including connections that we cannot see. From this, we can understand that nothing is completely unrelated to us.
Many people have probably had the experience of shedding tears while watching television. I think this happens because we ourselves know pain, and therefore we can understand the pain of others. We are beings who are able to understand other people’s suffering.
When there is someone around us who is in trouble, we extend a kind hand. When this chain of kindness overlaps again and again, the number of kind people increases, just as we first extended our own hand to someone else. I would like us to begin by creating a kind world around us. If we do so, I believe that, in time, this kind world will grow larger.
No comments yet.