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May 23, 2005
The Right Time And Place
Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.
Roy…I am sending you this quote from Sōtō Zen, Dōgen’s
Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki, please read it.
Once someone advised Dōgen to go to Easter Japan if he wanted to see
Buddhism prosper.
Dōgen said: "I don't agree. If anyone really wants to study Buddhism, he will
come here, even if he has to cross mountains, rivers, and seas. If I take my
teaching to people who do not have the desire to study, I don't know whether
they will listen to me. Might I not just be leading people astray for the sake
of my own livelihood or because I want material wealth? This would just wear me
out. I can't see the point in going."
This week you commented on a
couple of articles in an ezine at the request of the publisher. You did this
with a sincere desire to help promote healing. The publisher has several
articles of her own published in the ezine and you picked articles at random not
being aware that you had commented on two of hers. The ezine was a women’s
magazine and highlighted participation or deletion as a condition of membership.
A line in the advertisement for the magazine read:
"A MATURE, INTELECTUAL DISCUSSION ON SERIOUS ISSUES WITH MANY FEATURES!"
The comments you left about the
articles Roy were mature and enlightening and designed to empower the author to
take responsibility for her own healing, they were appropriate. The author has
been living in the drama of her own circumstances for years and it was
appropriate that I guided you to this person. The response to your comments was
also appropriate, considering the place that she is in at this moment. She
deleted your articles from her ezine and deleted your name from her membership
list and banished you for evermore.
Roy…she needed to read those comments and you were available
at the right time and place. After she has time to think about it, the awareness
will help her begin her journey to recovery. It was no accident that I sent you
to her. From this experience you have come away with some new awareness of your
own and that is why I sent you the above quote. You do not have to go out of
your way to find people to help nor should you try.
Those that are ready will find you. It is appropriate that
you have your books, articles and web site; they are symbols of your
enlightenment and although they are for your benefit, others will profit by them
as well.
Spiritual malpractice comes from giving help where it is not
wanted or asked for. This woman also has her web site and articles publicly
displayed and they are physical symbols or her awareness. She has been reaching
out via the ezine and the comments that she has received so far are "nice"
comments that support the belief she has about her present circumstances. The
burden of her recovery rests on her own shoulders not yours, God’s or anyone
else’s.
It is noteworthy that she has asked for comments on her
articles and at some level of awareness she is ready for the help that she so
desperately seeks. She did not like your comments about her incidents of abuse
because they place responsibility for experience squarely on her shoulders. At a
higher level of awareness spirit knows that it creates the circumstances it
experiences and it is not a victim of it. There are no innocent victims. She
reacted violently because she saw herself as a victim of violence and hasn’t
been able to accept her part in it. Violence begets violence and she saw your
comments as an attack, not help. Because she grew up with abuse from a man, she
acted appropriately within her understanding of how some men communicate.
Your comments were appropriate Roy and you do not need to
berate yourself as they were asked for. The soul was not damaged and only the
ego has been bruised. Do not give the loss of your articles displayed on this
site any thought, they have served their purpose. You have hundreds of articles
published now that are well received and I promise you hundreds more.
All strangers come bearing gifts Roy, but they are not
always received at a conscious level. You have received your blessing from this
experience and it has already been returned to you many times.
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