The Lord Buddha gave this admonition to the bhikkhus: if anyone were to speak critically — whether of the Lord Buddha Himself, of oneself, or of the community — His counsel was this: do not be hasty in anger. Instead, examine and reflect promptly on whether one truly possesses the fault being alleged. If one does not, then one may be at ease and rejoice — regarding the criticism as a prompt that has caused one to pause and examine oneself. If one has not in fact committed the wrongdoing being alleged, one may take quiet satisfaction in that. This is the first point.
The second point: when what has been alleged is not true, and an opportunity arises to explain and help the other person understand that one is not as they have claimed — and that the truth of the matter is otherwise — if they are willing to listen, that is well and good. If they are unwilling to listen, and it is clear that they will not, then let the matter rest and maintain equanimity. Do not quarrel, and do not argue with them.
February 22nd, 2015
