Chapter Five : Cause and Effect 24

A ferocious dog in the vicinity of the Headquarters of the order was attacked by another dog and was about to die. Seeing this, the Founding Master said,
“When that dog was young, it possessed a ferocious disposition and acted like a king among the other dogs in the village, committing all kinds of vicious acts as it pleased. It is being killed so horribly now as an effect of that retribution. This incident should serve as a warning to people who abuse their unwarranted authority. How can we dismiss this incident as just something that happened to a dog?” He continued, “Even when you watch people using their minds, you are able to judge those who are progressing and those who are regressing. Those in the period of progression have a good and gentle nature, do not harm others, and harmonize well with whomever they encounter; always advocating humility, they extol others and love to learn; in particular, they have faith in the truth, strive in their spiritual practice, wish others to do well, and by any means possible encourage the weak. Those in the period of regression, by contrast, are vicious by nature, cannot benefit many people, and conflict with whomever they encounter; being arrogant, they like to look down on others and do not like to learn; in particular, they have no faith in the truth of cause and effect and do not engage in spiritual practice; and they cannot bear to see others do well, trying by any means possible to cut down others who are better than themselves.”

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