At the heart of 

prejudice, condescension, and rage

lies fear. 

And mind-numbing ignorance. The strutting bully, the cantankerous bigot, and the belittling snob may all appear to be confident and strong, but the reality is very different. Under their blustering and seeming conviction lies fear.

For some, it is the fear that they will lose their tentative hold on what already seems to be slipping away. For others, fear that the day of absolute loss is very near.

Under all that aggressive demeanor and the self-righteous attitude lies ignorance. Ignorance of how the person obtained the perks and profits he enjoys. Of how people ended up with just a little bit more than those they look down upon, those they feel threatened by.

Those whose hearts are strangled by such fear do not realize that the good things in their lives come from helping others in past lifetimes, not by being cleverer in the current one. They do not know that they’re laying the groundwork for deprivation and anguish in their own future.

Caught up in judging what seems to be . . . (Click image for video)

Be skeptical when appropriate,

have faith when doubt can be eliminated. 

When the Buddha warned us about doubt (one of the five poisons, the others being greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance), he was not talking about reasonable skepticism in daily matters. For example, questioning how an investment could possibly double our money in three years.

The Buddha was speaking of doubt in the sages’ teachings.For us, it is doubt in the Dharma.

Based on our roots from previous lifetimes, we come to the teachings with varying degrees of doubt. We whittle away our doubt by experiencing the truth of the Dharma and thus verifying it for ourselves.

For instance, we experience that, yes, when we live a moral life we worry less. Chiseling away at our doubt, we will reach the point where we accept certain teachings on faith.

An example? Once born in the Pure Land, we will attain enlightenment far more quickly than with other methods. When the teachings and our experience mesh, we will let go of our hesitation. And our doubt.