Volume 26. April 11, 2022
One day after the slap heard round the world, on March 28, 2022, Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable … I would like to apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.”
Then why did you do it?
At what should have been the pinnacle moment of his life, the zenith of his career, Will Smith soiled himself — in front of a live television audience totaling 16.6 million viewers.
Unbelievable how the ego can sabotage one’s true self!
And yet, completely believable because that’s what the ego does.
The ego exists for its own good. Not for the sake of other people.
Buddhas come into the world to reorient the ego. Armed with shovels, searching for dung heaps, Buddhas shovel the filth of egotism out of our minds and proclaim the No Self.
When one realizes that one’s innermost being is the No Self, then one’s actions become selfless, instead of selfish.
Egocentric behavior becomes egoless behavior.
Chris Rock had the proper response. Humility, forgiveness, turn the other cheek, don’t draw attention to the dark side of humanity, let it go, don’t press charges. Chris was Christ-like.
He was not attached to his ego.
Bodhisattvas are not attached to their egos. Bodhisattvas relieve the sufferings of the world. They lead people to enlightenment.
We have all met a bodhisattva during our lifetime. Think of the kindest person you have ever known. Perhaps, a grandmother or a sainted aunt. That’s a bodhisattva.
The road to Buddhahood in Mahayana Buddhism is called the bodhisattva path. It consists of perfecting six virtues: generosity, patience, diligence, morality, meditation and wisdom.
The bodhisattva path is the path of love.
The slap heard round the world was wrong on so many levels. It was not only a crime (battery), it was an affront to human dignity. Will Smith didn’t slap Chris Rock, he slapped us all.
Multiply that slap by a billion-fold and you got a war in Ukraine. Violence, pride, ambition is not who we are. That’s our false self. Humility, anonymity, kindness, patience — that’s our true self.
Only one thing wins in the end — love. Remove the dam of the ego and the waters of love flow naturally.
Love hides at the center of all things. At times like these, we need to let it shine. Then our times become Buddha times.
The strength of evil is extremely intense, except for those with an enlightened mind.
When we get the ego out of the way, and let the No Self take over, then the Oscar goes to … humanity.
The Buddha Times 