With palms together,
Good Morning All,
I went to the synagogue last night. There was a young man on his way to graduate study at a rabbinic school. He gave a talk. Big Mistake. He chose to talk about the Ways of Rebuke. Now, imagine a congregation full of people much older than you and you are telling them how to rebuke their neighbor. Either in one ear and out the other or a rebuke in itself. He could have cast the talk in much more positive terms by suggesting we consider rebuke to be correction or assistance or counsel or whatever, but no. He stuck to the old, archaic term, rebuke...of course, its a Hebrew word and rabbis, as well as rabbinic students love to talk on the derivations of terms. I can't blame them, I do the same with Zen words. Such talk makes us feel as though we are in the know, you know.
I was struck, however, with the history that rebuking our neighbor is a positive commandment and is considered a good thing to do. This commandment places all of us in a position of being the hall monitors at school, the crossing guards, and the parents of the world around us. It sets us up to be the experts judging our neighbor's behavior and then demands we become a buttinskies on top of it! Oy.
Yes, we should aproach those who we feel are injuring us or the world. Yes, we should attempt to repair the damage, assist them and ourselves in healing, but rebuke? I'm not so sure.
The Buddha taught that teachings must be specific to the situation and needs of those within the situation. He knew that not all of us are smart, nor are we all artistic or mechanical. Each of us needs to be approached in a careful way, a way appropriate to our ability to understand. This requires a great knowledge of our neighbor. Sadly, few of us bother to get to know our neighbors well enough. And fewer still have the skill to rebuke with care and compassion.
So, I wonder about this commandment and am left thinking it better to address oneself before addressing the flaws of others.
Be well.
Rev. Harvey So Daiho Hilbert, Ph.D. May All Beings Be Free From Suffering
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3 comments:
Before trying to guide others, be your own guide first. It is hard to learn to guide oneself.
-Verse 139,the Dhamapadda
Physician, heal thyself.
-J.C.
Thanks,
Jikai
Sorry, that was verse 159 :)
Be Well,
Jikai
I agree we should all look to our own journey's before we even think about guideing others. We all learn this lesson in our own time. Hopefully sooner than later!
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