How do you get people to change without using force, fear, guilt, bribery, or some other negative action? In many social situation one person, whether it’s your boss, parent, teacher, landlord, or social leader, carries the social power so we do what they say. Meditators have all of these social tacts taken away from them because their expected to be honest and to abstain from harming others. This means the only tactic left is to win the person or group of people over.
A meditator must be living with dhamma, be visibly better off because of it, believe that he or she is better off, be willing and able to explain the path, and find ears that are interested in listening. This is a lot harder than just saying, “If you want to keep your job you need to do this.” The meditators words will be challenged at every turn because the listener’s life is so dramatically different. The listener doesn’t want to hear that their lifestyle is harmful to others. He or she doesn’t want to hear that the beliefs are incorrect. The listener doesn’t want to hear that it takes a lot of work to get on the right path.
But if a meditator can field all of the questions and concerns with a positive and balanced mind, he or she will slowly win over the listener. As people observe the meditator becoming a little happier and a little more peaceful every month and every year, they will eventually need to take notice. Once a person is won over by honesty and real results, the battle is won, and won for the long run. A meditators path is a difficult path, but since the results are real, dhamma will spread. I’m happy to be part of the spread of dhamma. Time to meditate.