8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 1/6

Share Next Blog»

Create Blog Sign In

Illusory Flowers In An Empty Sky

8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 2/6

Friday, October 1, 2010

At Home In Hell

Someone forces a month-old baby to drink acid. We see the pictures, and sadness for the baby

turns into rage against the person who did it. But rage, hatred, all of the ego's poison, is what lets

a human being do something so monstrous.

When we feel pity, we are already separating ourselves from the baby's suffering, because pity is

one more ego-reaction, as is anger and hatred. When we attach to such reactions, we are making

it about ourselves, our separate selves.

What can we do in this world of horror? Respond with compassion rather than react with pity. Be

present to the horror with compassionate detachment. Such detachment doesn't mean not feeling,

not caring - it means not making it about yourself. It means fully experiencing the hell, and with

that experience comes the realization that such stupid awfulness will always happen for as long

as people attach to the self and believe they are separate from other beings.

Though it's hard to do otherwise, if we allow ourselves to hate the person who did this, we

validate his or her cruelty, and, by hating, we pour gasoline on the flames of our own cruelty, and

so it goes on. Such awfulness can only stop happening when we replace hatred with compassion.

Who would you rather be - the baby whose body is so horribly maimed, or a person who woulddo such a thing to a baby?

Posted by Dogo Barry Graham at 5:23 PM 

Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz

Labels: compassion, ego, evil, self , suffering, zen

0 comments:

8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 3/6

Post a Comment

Comments are welcome, but please be courteous. Aggressive or disrespectful (towardsanyone) comments will not be published. Thank you for your interest.

Comment as:

Newer Post Older Post Home

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

"The awesome Barry Graham" - American Book Review

Dogo Barry Graham

Author, journalist and Zen teacher. Native of Glasgow, Scotland, now based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Abbot of The Sitting Frog Zen Center.

This blog contains various writings, Zen teachings, reporting and commentary on politics,

urbanism and sustainability.

Website

View my complete profile

Twitter Updates

• At the Zen Center tonight, zazen, dokusan and a talk from me. http://is.gd/danCe about 10

hours ago

• Nick Hentoff is blogging: http://nicholashentoff.blogspot.com/  1 day ago

8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 4/6

• Seven Right-Wing Ballot Initiatives That Could Ruin Your Government for Decades to

Come: http://is.gd/gAyiP 2 days ago

• Barry Eisler: The Definition of Insanity http://t.co/kOWzu6S 2 days ago

• At the Zen Center tomorrow morning, I'll give a Halloween Dharma talk. http://is.gd/

danCe 4 days ago

follow me on Twitter

Articles

• Why I Watch People Die

• Star of Justice

• A Life

• Waging Peace

• Junk Logic About Junk Food

• Sanctuaries of the Ruined

• Fighting, Writing and Peace

• More Articles...

Blog Archive

Blog ArchiveNovember (6)

October (97)September (57)August (38)

 July (31) June (35)May (36)April (36)March (36)February (35)

 January (37)December (45)November (48)

October (42)September (48)August (54)

 July (49) June (52)May (40)April (49)March (50)

8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 5/6

February (41) January (30)

Popular Posts

• Killing Jeffrey Landrigan: AZ Supreme Court Hearing Tomorrow

• U.S. Supreme Court Votes To Kill Landrigan

• Landrigan Has Been Killed

• Arriving Where You Are

• Stay Of Execution For Landrigan Upheld

• Slavoj Zizek Is Right About Buddhists, Wrong About Buddhism

• What An Excellent Day For An Exorcism...

• Reporting: The Myth Of Impartiality

• Reading List

• Should Voting Be A Right?

Essential Reading

• Sour Wine and Tomatoes

• Chris Hedges

• Jon Talton

• Stephen Lemons

• Phxated• Mother Jones

• M.V. Moorhead

• Vanishing Phoenix

• Gary Nabhan

• Muttering Madzub

• John McKenzie

• Ken Wolverton

• John Tarrant

Disclaimer

The views expressed on this blog are the author's own, and do not represent those of any

organization.

8/8/2019 At Home In Hell

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/at-home-in-hell 6/6

Unless credited otherwise, all content copyright Dogo Barry Graham. Art by Vince Larue.

Simple template. Template images by gaffera. Powered by Blogger.