Thursday 6 October 2005

Mindfulness Of Others

"If we really understood and remembered that life was impermanent, we would do everything we could to make the other person happy right here and right now. If we spend twenty-four hours being angry at our beloved, it is because we are ignorant of impermanence"

"Whatever you do or say in a state of anger will only cause more damage in the relationship. Instead, try not to do anything or say anything when you are angry." ~ Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

How often have we cause hurt to another person by saying something unkind in a fit of the moment? It may not be a lot of times but i'm sure most of them could have been avoided if we reflect upon our words before it comes out from our mouths.

Reflection before speaking may not come easy but it is just like learning to walk all over again. When we took our first steps, we fumble and we had to concentrate very hard just to walk. Once we are okay with it, we don't fumble easily though we still need to concentrate. Once we are good at it, we don't even have to think too much about walking itself and we can start to notice all the wonderful things that surround us.

Thus, it is the same for mindful speech. We need to put in tremendous effort first and as things fall into place, it will become second-nature to us, just like walking. Wonderful things will then start to appear in front of us. :)

I'm still learning, what about you? =)

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