Verse 8 says,

In Buddhist understanding, the lower realms represent beings that are driven by negative aspects. The lower realms are characterized by selfishness and survival. Think of all the ways we pit ourselves against others, and you’ll get a sense of it. So violence and greed and domination live here. It’s no place you want to spend your time.

Those negative traits don’t just pop up magically, though. They’re the result of thought and action. So the way for us to address the lower realms is to avoid the kinds of thoughts and actions that are destructive. And if we want to be bodhisattvas, we avoid those things even if our very lives are at stake. We choose compassion, every time, no matter what.

Which is so hard.

For me, what’s underneath this is a commitment to living in honor of the connections between us. Rather than living as if we are against each other, we live as if we belong to each other. And that makes all the difference.

This Sunday will mark the beginning of Holy Week for Christians. It’s a week where we remember the ways Jesus lived like he belonged to us, and loved us, even when it cost him his life.

That’s a high bar, too. But for us, compassionate living begins when we choose to notice how our words and actions affect other people. When we look over our day, where did we create harmony and goodness, and where might we have been destructive? Thubten Chodron writes, “We are responsible
for what happens to us in our lives. We are the ones who create the causes for our experiences.” That can be a tough pill to swallow. But it can also set us free.

Ken McLeod says, “Forget about being good or bad. Bring attention to your life.” This is such a good and holy place to begin. Bring attention to your life. Ask yourself what you bring out of others, and why. Notice how people react to you. Vow to do better when you see something other than love staring back at you.

Don’t be destructive. The cost is too high.