meta-p

Listening to all the incendiary rhetoric,
accusations and finger pointing by
Washington
towards other
nations
these days, I can't help but be constantly reminded of the age-old
adage that warns us: Beware of the finger that you point towards
others, for indeed, in that very act, three other fingers point
directly back at you. Buddhism and other worldly philosophies and
religious disciplines teach us to weigh our criticisms of others in
light of our own human condition. Truly, how can we pass judgment on
someone else's words, behaviors, or character unless we have seen these
things somewhere before, namely, in ourselves?

On a personal level, there is a small but significant exercise one is
encouraged to perform whenever one finds oneself in judgment of
another. After whatever statement you make about someone else, simply
add the words, "Just like me."

This practice is based on the principle that none of us is perfect and
that the flaws we recognize in others can be found within some aspect
of ourselves. The beauty of this technique is that it tears away the
veils of illusion of our alleged perfection, superiority and self-
righteous vindication over others. [...]

continues at:

''Just like us''
Printed on Monday, June 17, 2002 @ 09:02:50 EDT
http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=401