There’s no wrong that goes unpunished, no good that goes unrewarded. The principle of kamma takes care of that. But remember that it also takes care of you as well.

"Equanimity is not simply passive acceptance. It’s an ordering of your priorities, telling you to stop wasting energy on things that can’t be changed, and to focus it instead on areas where goodwill [mettā], compassion, and appreciation can make a difference.

So you look at the stories you’re telling yourself and try to inject them with these attitudes, and especially the teaching on kamma. There’s no wrong that goes unpunished, no good that goes unrewarded. That’s simply the way kamma is. Therefore, we don’t have to carry around ledger sheets — which person did this, which person did that — with the fear that if the ledger sheet disappears then that person’s not going to get the retribution he or she deserves. The principle of kamma takes care of that. But remember that it also takes care of you as well."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Story-telling Mind" (Meditations1)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Buddha talks about dispassion, disenchantment, equanimity — and to us it sounds cold. But everything in the Buddha’s teachings is put in the service of freedom.

What would actually happen if I made the effort to change the sad way things are? What would be the unintended consequences?

Keep working away and away and away at this habit of being truthful, not letting the setbacks of aging, illness and death knock you off course. You just keep coming back, coming back.