My Enemies List

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the practice of Compassion Meditation, which was offered by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist practitioner.  I suggested applying this practice to the great commandment of Jesus Christ to love one another as he loves us – and not only loving our neighbours which can sometimes be difficult, but, moreover, to love our enemies.

The meditation is quite simple with the following mantra:

May you be happy.

May you be blessed.

May you be free and peaceful.

May you be ever loved.

May you be always loving.

I have been including this in my prayers since then and have found it to be a balm for my soul.  I have no idea if it has an effect on those I have been praying for.  However, I have found a somewhat surprizing result; I have found more and more people who I have added to this part of my prayers. 

Former United States President Richard Nixon was famous or infamous for having an enemies list of political opponents and using the power of his position as president against those on the list.  I have discovered that as I engage in Compassion Meditation for my enemies, I have rather perverse pleasure in adding people to the list of enemies that I pray for.  The list of people was rather small to begin with but as the days passed the list grew.  It now includes such people as a Canadian federal politician who will remain nameless, the leading contenders for the U. S. Republican Party nomination for president, the six members of the United States Supreme Court placed there by Donald Trump, to name a few.  I have resisted adding the unknown person or persons who spread COVID to at least 20 people – including Lorna and me – at the anniversary celebration of the local seniors club a week ago.  I am sure that person did not do it intentionally. 

Let me reassure you that I am aware – ‘woke’ enough – to realize that Jesus did not have this in mind when he commanded us to love our enemies.  To truly love does not mean to develop a list of people who fit that category and have the satisfaction of categorizing them as people who are deserving of the label of enemy.  You must truly want them to receive the benefit of the prayer i.e., happiness, being blessed, freedom, peace and love.

What I have been doing in this exercise – at least at this point – is more akin to engaging with my shadow.  I will have to confront what it is about those people on the list that are more a reflection of aspects of myself. 

There is always more work to do on the journey.  As the prayer states, may we ‘be blessed’ to do that work.