Contemplation

1. Imagine a friend, an enemy, and a neutral person standing before you.

2. With one part of your mind consider your attitudes toward your enemy, your friend, and the neutral person.

3. Does your enemy appear to be completely unattractive, having harmed you or your friends in this life?

4. Does your friend appear to be completely attractive, having helped you or your intimates in this life?

5. Does the neutral person appear to be neither of these?

6. Consider that over the course of many lifetimes and even within this present lifetime there is no certainty at all that an enemy will remain an enemy, a friend will remain a friend, or that a neutral person will remain neutral.

7ยท Decide that therefore it is not right to single out just one group for intimacy, another just for indifference, and yet another solely for alienation.

8. Consider that all beings are the same; they want happiness and not suffering, just as you do.

Reflecting this way will remove bias.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Becoming Enlightened