Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn’t change the heart of others– it only changes yours. ~Shannon L. Alder
Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt
Stay away from negative thoughts it only steals your peace of mind and happiness.
~Anurag Prakash Ray
by Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama
How can we start
We should begin by removing the greatest hindrances to compassion: anger and hatred. As we all know, these are extremely powerful emotions and they can overwhelm our entire mind. Nevertheless, they can be controlled. If, however, they are not, these negative emotions will plague us – with no extra effort on their part! – and impede our quest for the happiness of a loving mind.
So as a start, it is useful to investigate whether or not anger is of value. Sometimes, when we are discouraged by a difficult situation, anger does seem helpful, appearing to bring with it more energy, confidence and determination.
Here, though, we must examine our mental state carefully. While itis true that anger brings extra energy, if we explore the nature of this energy, we discover that it is blind: we cannot be sure whether its result will be positive or negative. This is because anger eclipses the best part of our brain: its rationality. So the energy of anger is almost always unreliable. It can cause an immense amount of destructive, unfortunate behavior. Moreover, if anger increases to the extreme, one becomes like a mad person, acting in ways that are as damaging to oneself as they are to others.
It is possible, however, to develop an equally forceful but far more controlled energy with which to handle difficult situations.
This controlled energy comes not only from a compassionate attitude, but also from reason and patience. These are the most powerful antidotes to anger. Unfortunately, many people misjudge these qualities as signs of weakness. I believe the opposite to be true: that they are the true signs of inner strength. Compassion is by nature gentle, peaceful and soft, but it is very powerful. It is those who easily lose their patience who are insecure and unstable. Thus, to me, the arousal of anger is a direct sign of weakness.
So, when a problem first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude and be concerned that the outcome is fair. Of course, others may try to take advantage of you, and if your remaining detached only encourages unjust aggression, adopt a strong stand, This, however, should be done with compassion, and if it is necessary to express your views and take strong countermeasures, do so without anger or ill-intent.
You should realize that even though your opponents appear to be harming you, in the end, their destructive activity will damage only themselves. In order to check your own selfish impulse to retaliate, you should recall your desire to practice compassion and assume responsibility for helping prevent the other person from suffering the consequences of his or her acts.
Thus, because the measures you employ have been calmly chosen, they will be more effective, more accurate and more forceful. Retaliation based on the blind energy of anger seldom hits the target.
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| Kiri walks around his enclosure at Kampot’s Teuk Chhou Zoo in 2012. The zoo’s director, Nhim Vanda, is planning to exchange Kiri and one other elephant for animals from a Japanese zoo early next year. Vireak Mai |
Charles Parkinson and Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post, Thu, 27 August 2015
Two elephants living at Kampot province’s notoriously grim Teuk Chhou Zoo are set to be swapped for endangered species with a zoo in Japan, despite deep concern among experts over the suitability of the trade.
Teuk Chhou owner Nhim Vanda yesterday said elephants Kiri and Seila would be exchanged for two white tigers and two zebras, with the deal set to go through early next year.
“I also asked for an additional two gorillas,” he added. “They will be placed at my zoo to look different.”
White tigers are a sub-species of Bengal tigers, which are listed as “endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while gorillas are listed as “critically endangered”.
According to Vanda, who is an elected National Assembly member for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and serves as first vice president of the Committee for Disaster Management, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed off on the deal in early 2015.
Agriculture Ministry spokesman Eang Sophalleth confirmed he had seen a copy of the decision by the government accepting the trade of the elephants.
“The government would not make such a decision without a proper assessment,” he said.
Vanda said he has visited the as-yet unnamed zoo in Kagoshima prefecture, a province in the southern tip of Japan’s most southwesterly main island, Kyushu, and recently received a delegation from the zoo, which inspected Teuk Chhou and discussed where the new animals would be placed.
The Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh had not responded to a request for comment at time of print.
Yet the prospect of Kiri and Seila being shipped to Japan has been met with dismay by those with close knowledge of the elephants.
And according to Wildlife Alliance director Nick Marx, the long-running financial difficulties faced by the zoo offer little hope that the arriving animals would be adequately cared for.
“We all know that Nhim Vanda loves his animals, but he doesn’t appear to have the funds to care for them,” Marx said yesterday.
Marx says he was previously forced to give up working with the zoo in 2011 over a severe lack of funding and practices he witnessed that were incompatible with his ethics as a conservationist, including neglect so bad some critically endangered species died.
“If the situation hasn’t changed, I wouldn’t think that it’s a great idea for gorillas, zebras and more tigers to go there,” he said. “Gorillas require very special care.”
According to a source who has witnessed first-hand the conditions in the zoo within the past month, many of the animals remain under-fed, without clean water and are kept in squalid and undersized enclosures – circumstances echoing a 2011 investigation by the Post, which labelled Teuk Chhou the “zoo of horrors”.
For Fiona Hardie, who bankrolled the enclosure in which Kiri and Seila currently live and continues to assist financially in their upkeep, the impending swap suggests a lack of appreciation from Vanda for the contribution she and others have made to the elephants’ welfare.
“These animals are native to Cambodia and should be kept in their homeland,” she said. “Now we feel we deserve something back, and for those animals to be set free”.
That freedom could come in the form of an offer from Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary to take the pair to their 25,000-acre jungle sanctuary in Siem Riep province and rehabilitate them for possible release back into the wild.
“There are no hooks, no chains,” said Lek Chailert, who manages the facility. “We have a very big area and we can allow them to roam free.”
But for Vanda, moving the elephants to a new zoo in Japan was a win-win.
“I love my kids and my elephants. I do it for [Cambodians] to see the animals from Japan.
I want the elephants to know abroad and Japanese animals to know Cambodia,” he said, adding that he would buy new elephants from Mondulkiri to replace Kiri and Seila.
Sometimes, we have strange ideas about the Buddha. We go to him for refuge and then think that he will extend his large hand down from the sky and lift us out of samsara. Actually, the Buddha came into the world, taught the path to liberation, and then passed away.
Since we cannot go looking for him now, what should we do? We can rely on the Dharma he bequeathed to us and practice as much as possible this path to full awakening.
The Dharma is the Buddha’s representative. If we put into practice the meaning of his words, it is the same as if the Buddha were present and we could see him and hear him teaching us. This is why the Dharma is so important. ~17th Karmapa
Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean?” ~Shannon L. Alder
The strong person is not the good wrestler. Rather,the strong person is the one who controls himself when he is angry.
~Sahih al-Bukhari
Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean. ~Maya Angelou
ព្រះត្រៃបិដក ប្រែថា កញ្រ្ចែង ឬ ល្អី ៣ សម្រាប់ដាក់ផ្ទុកពាក្យពេចន៍នៃព្រះសម្មាសម្ពុទ្ធ
The Tipitaka or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The three divisions of the Tipitaka are: Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka.
វចនានុក្រមសម្តេចសង្ឃ ជួន ណាត
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Listen to Khmer literature and Dhamma talk by His Holiness Jotannano Chuon Nath, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia Buddhism.
Should anyone wish to ridicule me and make me an object of jest and scorn why should I possibly care if I have dedicated myself to others?
Let them do as they wish with me so long as it does not harm them. May no one who encounters me ever have an insignificant contact.
Regardless whether those whom I meet respond towards me with anger or faith, may the mere fact of our meeting contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.
May the slander, harm and all forms of abuse that anyone should direct towards me act as a cause of their enlightenment.
As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not shaken by blame and praise. As a deep lake is clear and calm, so the wise become tranquil after they listened to the truth…
Good people walk on regardless of what happens to them. Good people do not babble on about their desires. Whether touched by happiness or by sorrow, the wise never appear elated or depressed. ~The Dhammapada
