“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make
them my friends?” – Abraham Lincoln
Most of us encounter
quarrels and disagreements with others on a habitual basis. We are competitive
with some; we instinctively dislike the others; we even maintain a stoic
silence for a lifetime with a few. But thankfully, very few of us in the modern
era have true sworn enemies in the militia sense.
We tend to impulsively segregate
the external world into good versus evil; black versus white. Many a time these
judgements are erroneous and based on no historical facts or reality. The
atypical manner of compartmentalizing people into friends, enemies, and
strangers based on our perception on how they make us feel is both flawed and a
great barrier to developing loving kindness for all living beings. Rather than
holding on so tightly to our discriminations of the external world, it would be
much more useful for us to learn to discriminate between our real and worthless
states of mind.
All mental states and
therefore experiences are created initially by the mind. The Mind is the real Master.
The thoughts we have today arise from our experiences and beliefs shaped from our
past, and our current thoughts and judgements continue to build our life for
tomorrow. An endless cycle, and a lifetime of entrapment! In a nutshell, our
entire life is simply a construction and manifestation of our Mind!
The
adversary of the misguided mind is born ‘IN’ the mind and ‘OF’ the mind. If the
mind is focused, calm, well directed and fixed on the absolute and pure Truth,
the Enemy created within gets annihilated, and a Friend stands there instead.
And
in case there is a long standing enmity or grudge that you are holding on to
and find difficult to let go of, remember the words of Jesus, “Love your enemies." Because Love contains
the seed of redemption, and offers the strength to heal any transgression. Love,
mercy and compassion are the only powers in the Universe that can transform
people and melt the coldest hearts. No matter how uphill the task, just keep
sending loving thoughts to that person. Forgive their transgressions. They may
rebel against you or repel your love, but don’t deter. Keep at it. And one day,
the immense power of love will break the chains that bind both of you, to finally
set you free. Use the power of love to heal your past, break down your barriers
and chains, and build bridges for a bright and liberated future.
As the Buddha said, “It is better to conquer yourself
than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken
from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
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