linger on indefinitely. You should feel dismayed by your errant
behavior and drop this dangerous practice. Only then can you
hope to become a good individual with a chance for a better, hap-
pier birth in the future. Then your mean, angry heart will soften,
and you can avoid being engulfed in misery forever.
“All living beings in the universe – from humans and animals
to devas, brahmas, and yakkhas – cherish happiness and loathe suf-
fering. They do not have an aversion for Dhamma simply because
they can’t yet put it into practice. Dhamma has always been the
quintessential nature of the universe. Those beings who are in
a position to practice Dhamma find great satisfaction in it – for
instance, human beings. Their state of birth makes them well
suited to the practice of Dhamma.
“You yourself are a living being who’s fully capable of dis-
tinguishing between good and bad, and thus choosing what’s
most beneficial for you. So why do you do just the opposite? I’m
puzzled that you seem content to revel in those things which the
wise abhor while scorning those which the wise applaud. You
know about dukkha and you hate it, yet you strive to produce
the very causes that bring you great unhappiness and discom-
fort. The wise tell us that our efforts to find fault with others
produce consequences that cause greater and greater unhappi-
ness – exactly what you shamelessly do all the time. You may
not be interested, but although I’m fully aware of your despicable
thoughts, I’ve always forgiven you. I’m not angry or offended, but
I do feel sorry for you. Thus, I have decided to tell you the plain
truth. Should it prove useful to you, I shall be pleased for your
sake. I receive no unpleasant consequences from your thoughts
for I’m not the one who engages in them. All I experience are
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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