We are not our actions. The person and the action are two different things. You have to learn to differentiate a person’s harmful actions from the person. The action can be outrageous, negative, harmful and disgusting. But that does not mean the person who did it is outrageous, harmful, negative and disgusting. Why? Because that person has Buddha nature. He has the possibility to become a fully awakened one. The fundamental basic nature of his mind is something pure and untainted, that can never be tainted. We can never say a person is evil. We can never say a person is hopeless. Never. That is like saying he does not have Buddha nature. That is like saying the Buddha was a liar and he did not know what he was talking about when he said that all sentient beings have the possibility to be fully awakened.

Everybody, no matter what they do, still has that fundamentally pure nature of mind. That means the person is not evil and he is not hopeless or helpless. He can do something. It is very important to remember the pure nature of the mind. First, it establishes a very firm basis on which we can have self-esteem because the pure nature of the mind is always there. Furthermore, it cannot be tainted. It is a reason for me to respect every other living being and not discriminate among them. I can still say what they did was awful, but I do not have to hate them for doing it. I can still say, “I made a mistake,” but it does not mean I am an awful person. That is really, really, important.

“365 Gems of Wisdom” e-book is out now!