(Half bell)
(Bell)
I am very protecttive of the people I am close to, like family and friends.
And I know that I must be compassionate to all people,
but I have a harder time forgiving somebody that is harmful to one of them,
instead of to me or to myself.
I am not sure whether you have any recommendations on how to deal with that.
Dear Thay, dear Sangha,
our friend, Chad, he feels very protective towards those he loves,
his family and his friends.
And when someone else done something that harms his family or his friends,
he has a hard time practicing compassion, feeling compassionate towards that person.
He would like some guidance
on how he could be more compassionate in those situations.
In fact, compassion is a kind of protection
and the most effective protection that you have.
If you don't have compassion, you allow fear, anger to express,
and that will draw attention to you and makes them afraid of you
and they will attack you because they are also afraid.
That is why, with compassion, with understanding,
because understanding is possible.
But when you look at the aggressive people, you see that they suffer.
They have violence in them, they have anger in them.
They don't have much joy and compassion,
that is why, they suffer.
And when they suffer, they make other people around them suffer too.
And when we have time to look at them, we will understand
and naturally, compassion will arise in us.
We are not afraid of them anymore, we do not hate them anymore.
In fact, we want to do something or to say something, to help them suffer less.
And if you know how to generate compassion and joy,
we can find skillful means in order to help them to do the same.
And if they are joyful and compassionate, they will become harmless.
And that is the best way to protect ourselves.
So, generate compassion in our own self,
and help to generate compassion in another person,
is the best way to protect ourselves, to be in true security.
(Half bell)
(Bell)