Published Saturday, 23 January 2016
There never was,
nor is there now,
nor will there ever be
anybody who is only blamed
or wholly praised.Dhammapada 228
To receive unjustified criticism can be difficult. Feelings of indignation might arise and perhaps we think, 'I don't deserve this'. But what happens when we receive unjustified praise; are we equally quick to ask ourselves whether we truly deserve it? The reality is, throughout all time, everyone is praised and blamed, sometimes it's deserved, sometimes not. Thinking, 'this shouldn't happen to me', is like thinking 'I shouldn't have to feel the wind blow'. The wise response when we receive praise and blame, is to restrain the storyteller in our heads, come back into the body, exercise our best quality awareness, and simply feel how it feels; adding nothing to it and taking nothing away. Attempting to set up life in order that our preferences are always met, is to hide from reality. The Buddha's way is to receive reality.