Thank you for being a friend

I received the following email from a very good dharma friend of mine:


Congratulations!

I have heard your inner voice, and it is beautiful.

Setbacks are sometimes blessing in disguise. They force you to look deeply inside yourself to find the true cause of your malaise. What is it that makes me unhappy? What are my dominant negative emotions? What do I have to do in order to transcend my current situation?

We need that still point in our mind to see things clearly. We Buddhist call them shamatha and vispassana. And that still point can only be developed through solitude and utmost honesty with yourself. Only the brave and the loving ones would come out unscathed. Without courage we cannot face the pain and without compassion we cannot transcend the bitterness.

When I am mired in bitterness and resentment, which is too often, I always ask myself, ‘What is my original face?’

The recent episode is doing you good, my friend. It is just a small test on the road to Great Bodhi.



My response:

Thank you, my dear, for being a good friend.

Thank you for your wise advice, for caring and for being there when I need you.

All phenomena are impermanent, so I like to express my appreciation and gratitude before it is too late. Friendship like this gives us positive energy to strive for The Utmost Complete Perfection (anuttara-samyak-sambodi).

May the blessing of the Triple Gems reach us all...

Lung Zhi