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This is a midsumner change of pace that hopefully you’ll find as refreshing as I do despite the saw reference, which has to be there because the whole sutta (linked) is one of the Buddha’s most difficult teachings.

Never mind that, unless it interests you: just remember the river, when somebody tries to provoke or otherwise hassle you, and imagine them trying to boil it with a hand-held torch.

Your smile won’t be the answer they expect (they’re trying to pass along that torch), but it will do you — and, perhaps, them, a world of good!

The River

Immeasurable Goodwill

…

“Suppose bhikkhus, a man came with a burning grass-torch and said: ‘I shall warm up, I shall heat up, the River Ganges with this burning grass-torch’. How do you conceive this, bhikkhus, would that man warm up, would he heat up, the River Ganges with the burning grass-torch?”

“No, venerable sir. Why is that? Because the River Ganges is deep and immense; it cannot possibly be warmed up, heated up, with a burning grass-torch. Eventually the man would reap weariness and disappointment.”

“So too, bhikkhus, there are these five courses of speech that others may use when they address you: their speech may be timely or untimely, true or untrue, gentle or harsh, connected with good or with harm, accompanied by a mind of loving-kindness or by inner hate.

“When others address you, their speech may be timely or untimely; when others address you, their speech may be true or untrue; when others address you, their speech may be gentle or harsh; when others address you, their speech may be connected with good or with harm; when others address you, their speech may be accompanied by a mind of loving-kindness or by inner hate. Herein, bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our minds will remain unaffected, and we shall utter no bad words and we shall abide compassionate for welfare with a mind of loving-kindness and no inner hate. We shall abide with a mind of loving-kindness extending to that person, and we shall abide with an abundant, exalted, measureless mind of loving-kindness, without hostility or ill-will, extending over the all-encompassing world universe as its supporting object.’ That is how you should train…

“Even were bandits savagely to sever you limb from limb with a two-handled saw, he who entertained hate in his heart on that account would not be one who carried out my teaching. Now this is how you should train…”

— Simile of the Saw Sutta, translation by Ven. Nyanamoli Thera

Totally badass. ❤😎🙏

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Featured image: AbhishekMittal/Shutterstock

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