Do You Think You Are Getting Bullied Due to Your Compassion?

Many people think that after having studied Buddhism and being active in activities as well as supported Buddhism in general for many years ... even decades.... they would have a smoother life... less sickness and problems. Am I right to say that? But, no - life's cruel. Their lives are getting worse. Problems after problems besiege them. Their health deteriorate. They pray to this Buddha, that Buddha. This deity and that deity. All to no avail. They start to wonder. Some people with less faith even contemplate conversion to another religion. It may help in the beginning. But it's only going to get worse later. Convert or no convert. In Buddhism, generally we don't make promises to our believers that the Buddha will heal their sicknesses and make them well again. We don't make fantastic promises that change will start to happen once you have faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. In fact things may even get worse. As you begin your practice, you will become more sensitive to how you handle yourself and others. And it may appear to you that things are getting worse. If you are trying to develop compassion and patience, it is possible you may think that as you practice these virtues, people are treating you even more badly. However, in actually nothing has changed externally. It is only internally YOU have changed.As your virtue is being developed, this is part of the learning curve and a way of changing our previous habit patterns. As our habits changed, we may start to perceive things slightly differently. Our external situation may not yet change, but our reaction to them are now different, one of which is we no longer feel that we are being disadvantaged, or "bullied". At that time, we would be taking "compassion" to a higher level than it used to be. If we persevere through our virtue development, our difficult situation could start to see some real changes. Welcome to samsara. Brace ourselves. Karma is unmistaken. Remember that. Conversion is of no use. The good done previously has not been wasted. Develop a strong centre. Deepen our resolve. Make great vows. Develop Samatha and Vipassana. Take refuge again and again... and again. Life will not always be smooth sailing. If you like this post, you might want to check out this one - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-practice-living-dharma.html 

#samsara #life #karma #religiousconversion