Killing
Gasan instructed his adherents one day: “Those who speak against killing and who desire to spare the lives of all conscious beings are right. It is good to protect even animals and insects. But what about those persons who kill time, what about those who are destroying wealth, and those who destroy political economy? We should not overlook them. Furthermore, what of the one who preaches without enlightenment? He is killing Buddhism.”
My Musings
Many times, we are guilty of “talking without walking.” We may say we believe that killing is wrong, yet we don’t live up to our belief. Life is either black and white, or many shades of grey. If you say, “Killing is wrong,” what about the food you eat? It was all living matter at one point – even the plants, for you vegetarians out there. What about the clothes you wear? If you were to only wear synthetic materials, you could still be a contributor to killing through the natural resources used and/or polluted through the production process. To make bold, sweeping proclamations about your beliefs without thinking them through is dangerous and foolhearty.
We must be careful students of our lives. Once you have decided you believe something, think through all the ramifications that belief holds. After you contemplate all the possible situations your belief can put you in, you may find it hard to live your belief fully. Is this the way you want to live your life? Are you believing things that you cannot live? If you cannot “walk your talk,” do you truly believe it after all?
Writing Applications
Your characters may hold deep-seated beliefs. Challenge their beliefs by putting them into situations where they must decide whether to follow the natural results of their beliefs, or avoid the outer conflict and face their inner turmoil. Will your characters do what they believe, despite the consequences? Or will they have to reevaluate what they actually believe?
In our daily writing lives, we may receive assignments that directly clash with our beliefs. For example, you are assigned an article about gun control, but you’re head of the NRA in your local community. Do you write the article despite your beliefs? Or do you decline, and risk losing a client? These are not easy answers, and require deep introspection, to determine what matters most – what you actually believe.
