This brought me to a new understanding of metta. I tried liking everything and everyone and it just wouldnt work. This motivated me to redouble my studies. Thank you for your words of wisdom.
I want to understand this but I’m still not sure if I do. It is helpful to know that you can love someone but not like what they do or how they behave and take action accordingly. But I translate radical acceptance to mean that you accept a situation without acting on it - you let it be what it is. So, in relation to the story about the heron, it means that you would accept that the heron needs to eat the fish to survive. Am I misunderstanding this as I really want to know how to make loving kindness a part of my life. If you are taking action to stop something, that doesn’t sound like radical acceptance.
Could it be the difference between shooing the heron away and killing it? Or perhaps not hating the heron if it does eat one of the fish before it is shooed away? On the other hand, this is an analogy and as such should not be taken a that which it describes; don’t stretch the analogy beyond the point at which Ajahn Amaro took it. Just my 2¢.
But the heron might be starving, you could be kind to the heron by letting it eat a couple of fish, no? What made you choose to protect the fish instead?
Being happy is an internal decision, not dependent on the externals. Fish or heron is not the issue. The only meaningful action is teaching love & wisdom.
How can he say, "I love you completely" to the heron yet deny it from nourishing itself? Would you not want to feed your cat or dog or your child? Is the quality of love for the bird, less than for the dog? We must acknowledge that eating means taking of one life or another.
May everybody who reads this be well... ❤️
Very high level monk
Thank you! This is a lovely explanation and very helpful explication!
You dont have to like one to be kind ! i love this little talk
Gracias 🙏
This brought me to a new understanding of metta. I tried liking everything and everyone and it just wouldnt work. This motivated me to redouble my studies. Thank you for your words of wisdom.
I thought I had to be "mr nice guy" and that's one heavy load to carry.
I want to understand this but I’m still not sure if I do. It is helpful to know that you can love someone but not like what they do or how they behave and take action accordingly. But I translate radical acceptance to mean that you accept a situation without acting on it - you let it be what it is. So, in relation to the story about the heron, it means that you would accept that the heron needs to eat the fish to survive. Am I misunderstanding this as I really want to know how to make loving kindness a part of my life. If you are taking action to stop something, that doesn’t sound like radical acceptance.
Could it be the difference between shooing the heron away and killing it? Or perhaps not hating the heron if it does eat one of the fish before it is shooed away?
On the other hand, this is an analogy and as such should not be taken a that which it describes; don’t stretch the analogy beyond the point at which Ajahn Amaro took it.
Just my 2¢.
1:03
metta 2 the heron please no elimination of species
be happy
But the heron might be starving, you could be kind to the heron by letting it eat a couple of fish, no? What made you choose to protect the fish instead?
Being happy is an internal decision, not dependent on the externals. Fish or heron is not the issue. The only meaningful action is teaching love & wisdom.
Metta practice is not trying to force a sweetness when theres bitterness but you can be kind to that which is not likable.
Interesting 🤔😁🙏🏻
How can he say, "I love you completely" to the heron yet deny it from nourishing itself? Would you not want to feed your cat or dog or your child? Is the quality of love for the bird, less than for the dog? We must acknowledge that eating means taking of one life or another.