Calm Your Mind: Attitude #4

Your mind has a life of its own and is the culprit of much frustration and physical tension.

We have previously explored three attitudes, that when cultivated will help calm agitated thoughts. 

They were:

1. Friendliness toward the happy.
2. Compassion for the unhappy.
3. Delight in the virtuous.

The 4th attitude is what I perceive as the most challenging: Disregard toward the wicked.

When we run into people that are rude or mean, we usually get our guard up and judge or get angry.

To retain our undisturbed state:

• Remember that you have had times when your behavior was inappropriate and harmful. 
• Do not take the persons behavior personally, even it is directed toward you. Keeping this distance helps you ignore the behavior of others which will make your life much more peaceful.
• Their behavior might not change, but your response makes all the difference to your well- being.
  

Give this a try next time you encounter someone who is behaving cruelly or inappropriately.  Let me know in the comments below how your state was and if you were able to make the shift to disregard their behavior.