One of the challenges of the spiritual life is maintaining the peace, love and joy we experience during meditation, throughout our daily life. All around us we see and feel confusion, commotion, suspicion, greed and aggression. We are part of the world and live in the world: how can we not be affected by the condition of the world?
These forces are especially confronting when they are aimed at us. When we are verbally abused, how are we supposed to remain calm? When we are deceived or betrayed, how are we to retain our heart of love and joy?
It is one thing to have to deal with our own inner weaknesses, which are clearly our responsibility – what of these hostile forces which attack us from outside?
Once while the Buddha was meditating, a person came and started insulting him vehemently. This abuse went on while the Buddha continued meditating. Eventually the person became fed up and turned to leave.
Then the Buddha spoke: “Just wait, please. I have something to ask you. Tell me, when you offer gifts to a person, if he does not accept your gifts, what do you do?”
“I just take them back.”
The Buddha said, “Well, you have been trying to offer me the gifts that you brought with you. Since I have not accepted your gifts, you are taking them back with you.”
It is up to us, whether to accept any ‘gift’ which is offered to us. The moment we accept a gift, it becomes ours. When we react to anger directed at us, that same anger flows through and consumes us, as also with doubt, fear, jealousy, suspicion. Our consciousness plummets, our day is destroyed.
To maintain your poise, be very careful which gifts you accept.