“…the next step in your development will be that you realize that your own lack of understanding causes the hurt and therefore the hatred.”

Pathwork Lecture 89

Mind-heart is upstream/yang, gross physicality is downstream/yin.

Hatred being a sickness of the mind-heart, it eventually results in sickness of the body. When the body persists in sickness, consider examination of the mind-heart.

Thing is, the growth of hatred can be insidious. It is like rust eating away at the old car in the back garage while we polish to a shine the new car in front of the house. It’s easy to forget about the old car.

Then, what contributes to the problem is the tendency to overemphasize our personality strengths and underemphasize our personality flaws. We live out the thesis of putting forth our well-groomed-ness and become blind to our wretchedness.

Or, we elevate hatred as a virtue. Who’s the most gangster, the most ruthless, the most aggressive is the one to be admired and feared and imitated.

Or, we delight in hatred and the twisted sense of excitement it brings. Like a circle of fools engrossed in gossip and catty backbiting all the while giggling about it.

If we see hatred out there, it’s only because it’s in us too.

External mirrors internal.

How to stop the vicious cycle of hatred? When we divest from vicious cycles and invest in corresponding virtuous cycles, resources are freed up which lead to improved health at all levels of being.

How does one remove a stain from a shirt? First, we must be able to clearly identify ”here is a stain”. Then, we must be able to discern clearly ”this stain does not belong here”. Next, there must be a clear intent ”let this stain be removed from the shirt”. Then, there must be a meaningful contact with that stain –work put in by hands, soap, water, etc.–such that the stain is washed away.

Similarly, in order to purify the mind-heart of hatred we must first able to clearly identify ”here is hatred in my mind-heart”. Then, we must be able to discern clearly ”this hatred does not belong here, for it brings suffering and does not bring true happiness”. Next, there must be a clear intent ”let this hatred be purified from my mind-heart”. Then, there must be meaningful contact with that hatred–work put in by introspective reflection, discernment, prayer, etc.–such that the hatred is purified.

Without the clear admission of a stain, the stain cannot get removed, the stain persists. Without the clear admission of hatred, hatred cannot be purified, hatred persists.

Human attention is finite, and not infinite. If one’s mind-heart is habitually oriented toward the outside, then there is an insufficient tending to what is inside. If one’s mind-heart is habitually oriented toward what is pleasant, then there is an insufficient tending to what is unpleasant. Owing to these types of habits, one whose mind is habituated thusly develops a blind patch. It is like one who foolishly admires what s/he sees in the mirror but is unaware of the stain by their butt crack.

You couldn’t fault such a one for lack of focus, but you could fault such a one for mistaking the partial as the total and for misdirecting the power of focus.

Admitting the truth of things, feeling the pangs of compunction, recognizing the past, present, and future suffering one is responsible for, desiring to decrease suffering and improve one’s health, realizing that one’s life is an instant out-picturing of one’s own mind-heart: compelling reasons such as these lead us to 1) seek and find a good teacher, 2) make oneself teachable thereto, and 3) practice such that the bearing of good fruit.

Making oneself teachable to good teachers and applying what’s taught, one practices right attention to inside and outside, one practices right attention to pleasant and unpleasant.

Practicing in the right way, one comes face to face with the hatred in one’s mind-heart that’s been there all along but owing to past habit has been outside of conscious awareness.

Practicing in the right way, one comes face to face with the deep, all-inclusive love in one’s mind-heart that’s been there all along but owing to past habit has been outside of conscious awareness.

Practicing in the right way, what was invisible becomes visible, what was vague becomes clear, what was unknown becomes known.

Hatred being incrementally purified from the mind-heart, the mind-heart commensurately enjoys non-sickness. The mind-heart enjoying non-sickness, the body is commensurately full of vitality.

Hatred in oneself brings hatred into the family. Hatred in the family brings hatred into the community. Hatred in the community brings hatred into the state. Hatred in the state brings hatred into the nation. Hatred in the nation brings hatred into the world. Hatred in the world brings hatred into progressively expansive spheres of experience.

Healing in oneself brings healing into the family. Healing in the family brings healing into the community. Healing in the community brings healing into the state. Healing in the state brings healing into the nation. Healing in the nation brings healing into the world. Healing in the world brings healing into progressively expansive spheres of experience.

To aid in the cessation of hatred in the world, commit to the cessation of hatred in self.

“What the superior person seeks, is in self. What the inferior person seeks, is in others.”

Analects of Confucius 15.21

Copyright (c) 2021 Justin Jaucian