AVERSION
"I disliked that doctor so much I couldn't wait to get out of her office.
"How can my nephews listen to that dreadful noise they call music?
"I hate waiting in lines.
"We experience aversion whenever we reject something else because we deem it unpleasant — a person, a situation, a mental or physical experience. We may not recognize aversion when it takes such forms as ill will, hatred, jealousy, envy, and judgmentalism because it seems so reasonable, so justified. But whenever we are caught up in aversion, our equanimity is thrown off balance, and aversion makes it impossible for us to see the truth and experience liberation in this moment. Every experience of aversion is an opportunity for spiritual growth if we can separate the cause of the aversion from our response to it and see and acknowledge the way things really are.
"Mindfully recognizing
the destructiveness of aversion,
may I let go of it
each time it arises,
and take advantage
of the opportunity it gives me
for insight, wisdom,
and spiritual growth."
