Episode 42 – Three Bowls, continued

In the previous episode we looked at the analogy of the three bowls (the upside down bowl, the cracked bowl, and the bowl laced with poison), and contrasted them with the ideal bowl as an example of how to hear the dharma • this is helpful in terms of how to receive what is true; but what about when the things that are coming at you are tainted, or mistaken, or simply not true? • often, as soon as someone starts talking in a way we don’t like, we shut down immediately • the challenge is that you DO have to take it in; you have to try to understand exactly what’s being presented in in order to respond appropriately • this has to do with how to discern, which means taking things in carefully, breaking things down into their components, making distinctions between what is beneficial and what is harmful • discernment also relates to how properly to respond, how to engage in difficult conversations, how to loosen the quality of harm or ignorance that comes with information that is distorted or deceptive or harmful • discernment is about listening without bias and figuring out what is true, rather than reacting based on preconceptions.