We all experience aversion, whether it comes in the form of frustration, annoyance, or anger. And while most folks will affirm that there are plenty of people in the world who express hatred, not many will readily admit that hatred is a condition of their own hearts. I am not one of those people. I have hated.
The Visuddhimagga characterizes the aversive temperament as someone who “condemns living beings” and juxtaposes it with the discerning temperament, which “condemns mental formations”. There was a time in my life when I actively felt aversion for entire people, for everything about them, and I felt justified in doing so. It took time for me to realize that what I was experiencing was hatred, and it took even more time for me to begin to discern people from their ideologies.
How does one move from hatred to discernment? In this talk, I explore what my process with hatred has looked like. I tell the story of my relationships with other people in prison and how, through hatred, I learned to love. The talk is followed by a guided meditation.
And the Jerry Bear? Gotta listen to the talk to figure that one out.
The talk was given on October 4th, 2024 and can also be found at the Big Heart City Meditation website.
