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Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

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Enlightenment before us. Always make one's speech<br />

soft <strong>and</strong> gentle; then, one encourages loving-kindness to<br />

develop in others. When others are in some distress or<br />

suffering illness, ask after them <strong>and</strong> pray that they may<br />

recover.<br />

The Pure L<strong>and</strong> School has given many examples of this<br />

sort of action. Many are also found in Nagarjuna's<br />

Prajnaparamita Sastra. These matters depend on us. If<br />

we really have the desire to do them, we may find many<br />

things, <strong>and</strong> certainly there are many examples to<br />

stimulate us in <strong>Buddhist</strong> literature. We may, therefore,<br />

correct our ignorance of the practical methods in the<br />

three paramitas, if we truly wish to do so.<br />

5. How can one be saved from the effects of<br />

unskillful actions by the belief in <strong>and</strong> praying to a<br />

savior? How is the doctrine of karma affected by<br />

such a belief?<br />

There are really two questions here <strong>and</strong> they concern the<br />

<strong>Buddhist</strong> teaching of karma more than meditation. I<br />

shall answer them together.<br />

Many people think of causation by karma too narrowly<br />

<strong>and</strong> rigidly, so that the bad must be punished <strong>and</strong> the<br />

good rewarded. This is, of course, quite right, but one's<br />

ideas should not be limited to this. In the universe no<br />

one person st<strong>and</strong>s alone <strong>and</strong> unconnected; on the<br />

contrary there are many fine interrelations which are not<br />

651

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