Food for Thought

‘A eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”

-Mahatma Ghandi

“To forgive those who have threatened, harmed, or hurt us, in the past or in the present, asks for a profound inner strength.  In the face of injustice, threat, or hurt it is easier to retaliate and perpetuate cycles of anger and fear than it is to forgive those who have harmed us and to understand their behavior.  An elderly Tibetan monk who had spent years in harsh prisons, where he was regularly beaten and tortured, emerged to speak of the forgiveness he cultivated as a daily practice toward those who wronged him.  The act of forgiveness does not condone violence, injustice, or oppression.  Instead, it is the refusal to assume the role of the avenger or hater in your own heart.  It is true defiance of the power of the oppressor.”

-Excerpted from "Silence" by Christina Feldman

“People who are difficult to deal with offer us a precious chance to train ourselves to be loving, compassionate, ethical, and patient.  That is why they are like a precious treasure.”

-Geshe Sonam Rinchen's commentary on the Eight Verses

“If the only prayer you say in your whole life is "thank you", that would suffice.”

M. Eckhart