13. To repay injury with acceptance / how to use suffering on the path
Though I’ve not done the slightest thing that’s wrong, / Without a cause someone cuts off my head.
To generate compassion in my heart / And take upon myself all their misdeeds:
This is the way a bodhisattva trains.
verse 13 audio
Contemplation based on Ken McLeod‘s commentary: “Drop any concern for justice and fairness. These are ideals, ideas that your patterns easily twist and shape to their own ends. Practice goes nowhere if you follow this path. You are soon lost in interpretation, conceptual thinking, unacknowledged prejudice and bias.”
What does Ken mean by this, and do you think he is right? Should we ever intervene in situations to combat unfairness or abuse? If so, how can we do it without compromising our practice?
Homework: Be vigilant for the feeling that you are being treated unfairly. Catch it as soon as it arises, analyze the situation according to the verse 13 commentaries, and apply the remedy.