The Best Way to Deal with Gossip and Personal Attacks

By: Lodro Rinzler When someone crosses you in words or actions, what is the right way to respond? A Buddhist meditation teacher draws from an ancient text to provide insight and guidance. Okay. We know we should be more mindful of our own speech, sure. But what about when rumors are flying about you, or someone is spreading gossip and it's hurting your reputation? What should you do then? There is a beautiful Buddhist text dating back to the fourteenth century known as the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Bodhi can be translated from Sanskrit as "open" or "awake" while sattva can be translated as "being," so it is an open-hearted being. A meditation master known as Ngulchu Thogme composed these verses so that we could live a full life with open hearts, in order to be helpful to those around us. Many of these practices revolve around applying virtue to even the toughest of our everyday situations. For example: Should someone slander you Throughout a billion worlds, With a heart full of love, to proclaim his good qualities in return Is the practice of a Bodhisattva. Related: How Embracing Struggle Can Help You Find Success When we hear that someone says something even remotely negative about us, our initial instinct may be to harden our hearts and retaliate. You might think, "That jerk. I trusted them and now they're spreading all these lies and gossip about me." Armed with an iPhone, you can be three texts deep accusing them before you even know you're reacting negative...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news