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Buddhists/The Perfection of the Universe

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Expert: - 10/27/2010


Question
I recently listened to a recorded lecture by Ram Dass and someone asked him about suffering in the world. Ram Dass recounted a story of his spiritual training when he saw his teacher being brought food while 200 miles away, children starved. His teacher told him that everything is perfect. Does this mean that some people are meant to suffer more than others? Or do we choose or current incarnations on some other level and place ourselves in horrible circumstances to become a better being in a later incarnation? Also, I do not rally like too many people. I live in a pretty large city and it seems like everyone is ignorant in some form or another. Do you have any meditative practices or advice in learning how to see the divine in people even when they try to harm me or take advantage of me in some way? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Answer
Hi Ryan,

The Buddhist concept of Kamma explains clearly why beings are born unequal.  Under normal circumstances, it would be near impossible to see "the divine in people" especially those who want to harm you.  One of the Buddhist meditation methods is on loving kindness whereby you recite goodwill wishes to all and sundry, like "may all my friends be well and happy' and so on.

I think I shall only give you the above short answers.  If you need further clarification, please follow up.

Take care.

Justin Choo

Buddhists

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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