What would Buddha do?

Buddhism, like Hinduism, presents a new way of thinking about the world around us. In class we talked briefly about how looking at something as a religion can be a turn off or filled with negative connotations. But if we view it as a way of thinking or understanding life, more people seem to listen. And they aren't disappointed.

After reading the first 13 chapters, I'm trying to implement some of the Buddha's ideas into my own life. The story about the Monk who was accused of being the father, and later found to be innocent (a story Alexandra shared in class) was inspiring. In good and bad times, the monk shrugged off the accusations and accepted the consequences. The Buddhist monks are taught that they should not cause suffering to living things. In other words, be level minded and be aware that you can't change what people think. You know what you did or did not do (and you also know that you do not exist...) so really, there is no harm done, and you should not cause any now.

It's also interesting to see habits people have. Something is damaged or something goes wrong, and too quickly people get angry or defensive. The Buddha teaches that we should not let ourselves give in or take the easy path by getting mad or angry. He encourages us to paddle against the current, and try to show compassion and understanding. The greatest battle to win, is not over others, but over yourself.

Today was the day before Easter, and many customers were in a rush. Some customers were buying eggs and coloring kits or flowers for their mothers-in-law. And per usual, there were the bitter customers, upset at the sales that never ring in correctly, or mad that the strawberries are always rotten. They always appear so infuriated! How nice it must be, I thought, that your biggest concern is about a coupon on toothpaste being expired. And then I realized, maybe these people do have other concerns. It is not natural to be this defensive over such a small issue, there must be an underlying problem. Think like the Buddha. What would he do?

Remain calm, find the real cause of suffering, resolve it. If they are still mad, do not hold onto grudges. If they never want to shop because they think the boy on register 2 is incompetent, there is really nothing I can do to change their mind. I can only hope that they find peace someday, and perhaps their spurts of anger will come back as karma. I'm not hoping for revenge, but justice.