Thirty-Seven Practices

Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva: Verse 15

Even if someone humiliates and denounces you

In front of a crowd of people,

Think of this person as your teacher

And humbly honor him — this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Isn’t this something that happened to you, it was only a short while ago?

Someone you thought was your friend, you honestly thought she liked you.

But then you felt her change and you didn’t know why. Feeling uneasy, you thought you were making it up.

You even asked her: “Is something bothering you?” That hollow response: “Nothing, no, there’s nothing bothering me.”

Then she sent you a letter. “I don’t want to talk to you again.” Worse yet, she made it public. She announced it. She made sure everyone knew, You felt guilty, you felt ashamed.

Over and over you asked yourself: What did I do? What did I do to her?

All it took was a silent accusation, you felt like you’d broken a law, committed a crime, violated some rule that was always a secret.

Those rules that no one explains, the code you can’t discover You’re haunted by what you don’t know. Women blame themselves for everything. And everyone else blames us too.

If She is My Teacher

If she is my teacher, what am I expected to learn:?

To expect nothing.
To trust no one.
To give, but do not expect to receive.
Avoid secretive people.
Be of help to everyone, no matter what they do.

Self-protection is a skill you can learn.

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