No Harm
More than 2500 years later, while his teachings are spread worldwide, we are still facing so much suffering at every level of our existence. I find solace in practicing meditation and learning the teachings although nothing shields me from the pains and sorrows completely while joy and happiness are more appreciated when they’re present in day to day life. Yet I heard one of my teachers, Gil Fronsdal, recently say, “if you can just remember one thing about Buddhist teaching, it is about ‘no harm’.” No harm, first to ourselves, then to others including other beings. It sounds simple, but apparently it’s not so if we still find the world to be so full of harm.