What terrifying storms!
Is it true malevolence;
Or only just natural?
What soothing breezes!
Is it true benevolence;
Or only just natural?
What weather!
Never by ‘chance’;
But your karma, the weathered one.
Nature Haiku
What terrifying storms!
Is it true malevolence;
Or only just natural?
What soothing breezes!
Is it true benevolence;
Or only just natural?
What weather!
Never by ‘chance’;
But your karma, the weathered one.
HELLO, 10-16-13
IN THE PALI CANON THE BUDDHA WAS DISCUSSING A WAR IN A NEIGHBORING PROVINCE AND WAS ASKED IF BUDDHISTS SHOULD PROTECT PEOPLE FROM VIOLENCE BY USE OF VIOLENCE. THE BUDDHA SAID YES. ASKED IF THE UNDESERVING, THOSE WITHOUT BAD KARMA EVER GOT HURT OR KILLED IN WARS, THE BUDDHA SAID THE INOCENT OFTEN WERE BEING HURT OR KILLED DUE TO THE BAD KARMA OF THE MASSES. I THINK THIS WOULD INCREASE THE BAD KARMA OF THE MASSES. EVEN APATHY HAS BAD KARMA. HOW WRONG IS IT TO SAY ALL WEATHER, ALL OCCURANCES ARE KARMIC CONSIDERING THE COMPLETELY ENLIGHTENED ONE SAID OTHERWISE? I FEAR THAT THE STATEMENT ABOUT KARMA IN YOUR ARTICLE, TAKEN LITERALLY, COULD INCREASE APATHY AND THEREFORE INCREASE SUFFERING.
I AM USUALLY SO PLEASED TO READ YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM AND CARING, AND HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO ENLIGHTEN US WHEN YOU CAN. ACCESSTOINSIGHT HAS A KEYWORD SEARCH OF SUTRAS. RESEARCHING PALI CANON AND DHAMMAPADA REFERENCES TO THE (G) (G) TERMS, VIOLENCE, WAR AND PUNISHMENT WOULD BE REWARDING FOR THOSE WITHOUT THEIR OWN. MAY ALL BEINGS AWAKEN AND HAVE THE GREAT PEACE AND JOY, THE WISDOM AND CARING OF BUDDHAS. PEACE, SUE RAMSEY
In which sutta did the Buddha say about resorting to violence to fight violence, and that the innocent can be harmed even if they don’t have corresponding negative karma? Do share.
The Buddha taught this in the Dhammapada:
‘Hatred can never be ceased by hatred.
Hatred can only be ceased by love.
This is an eternal law.’
It is impossible for anyone without personal negative karma to be harmed randomly. If it is possible, the law of karma is not working. Everything has its cause and effect.
The haikus are about weather, not human violence and all occurrences. Indeed, weather is karmic – think climate crisis. The haikus are not about apathy, but about how nature that affects sentient lives is expression of karma; never by chance; hence the need for us to take responsibility individually and collectively for the welfare of all. They are not about apathy at all.
There are other articles here on the harm of apathy:
How Some Might (Mis)understand Karma
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/327
How Inaction Might Be Evil
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2010/08/how-inaction-might-be-evil
Are All Present Obstacles Due To Past Karma?
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2012/11/are-all-present-obstacles-due-to-past-karma
Should We Only Let Karma Mete Out Justice?
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2012/12/should-we-only-let-karma-mete-out-justice
(P.S. It is very difficult to read comments written all in CAPS.)