Another day, another great teaching from Khenpo on Shantideva.

Something that Rinpoche says often is that you need to have the opportunities to practice...in other words you can't practice patience if you are sitting around in your empty house with no distractions and no one to make you upset. You need an opportunity to apply the antidotes to your afflictive emotions in order to see if you've "got it".

Tonight provided an interesting example. I was still basking in the afterthought of the evening's teachings on Shantideva Chapter 5 @ the Dharma Center where I am staying when a homeless gentleman entered and said he needed to go to a hospital. In my opinion, the problem of homelessness is a moral conundrum. For instance this man said that he was having health problems from alcohol. I have spent most of my life in Los Angeles, and 3 years working in the bowels of downtown where there is a huge homeless problem. It is very sad to see so many people who have given up, who have given in to their mental problems &/or chemical dependencies.

As a Buddhist it is especially puzzling. Is it better to give someone money when they ask because at that moment they are undergoing intense suffering (which is only going to be temporarily relieved) and practice generosity, or is it more compassionate to deny the person that money that they will use to buy drugs or alcohol? Someone told me once that once you have offered money what they do with it is no concern of yours, nor are you creating negative karma by giving it to them. On the other hand enabling an addict isn't helpful...but denying them a dollar isn't going to make the problem go away.

Now I am not saying that I know what they do with the money on every occasion, I am merely speaking from experience. I have had people who are constantly begging for money for something to eat turn down perfectly good food. For a while I carried a few extra sandwiches because if someone approached me asking for money for food and I gave them food then there was no danger for misappropriation.

So as this particular episode was playing out this evening and I attempted to handle the situation skillfully, a few of the verses which Khenpo taught on popped up in my mind.

"56. Un-distressed by the mutually incompatible desires of foolish people, endowed with compassion, knowing that they are like this as a consequence of the arising of their mental afflictions,
57. Always resorting to irreproachable things for the sake of myself and others, I will maintain my mind free of pride, like an apparition."

As Khenpo likes to say, Bodhichitta is not easy. But I prostrate to the one who gives me the opportunity to try and apply it, and pray that he and all other sentient beings who are suffering are liberated swiftly.