12. To repay theft with generosity / how to use loss on the path
If someone driven by intense desire / Steals all my wealth or instigates the theft,
To dedicate to them from all three times / My wealth, good deeds, and merit, everything:
This is the way a bodhisattva trains.
audio of verse 12
Bodhisattva Boot Camp begins!
For an overview of this section of the 37 practices, verses 12-19, read this. And with verse 12, we wade right into the quicksand.
Contemplation: Can you recall an instance where someone stole something from you, large or small, material or metaphorical? Perhaps your home was broken into and completely cleaned out, as in the verse. Perhaps it was a smaller or less concrete loss: your car or bicycle, your wallet or credit card, a precious object, a financial scam, someone cutting in front of you in traffic or stealing the parking space you were waiting for, someone else got the promotion or award you felt you deserved, someone used your idea and didn’t give you credit. What was your reaction at the time? How does it feel now?