Wisdom Abandons No One

Vast space does not remain in any one place; it embraces all things. It does not choose only what is clean to hold and push away what feels uncomfortable. So it is when we speak of the equality of the Tathagata's wisdom. It does not deem one being worthy and another useless based only on the abilities and faults apparent now.

Equality does not mean treating everyone in exactly the same way. Dry soil needs water, a weak stem needs support, and a tree already standing strong needs room to grow on its own. Rather than insisting on the same amount and the same method, wisdom moves as compassionate skillful means (upaya), discerning what is needed now.

As a great tree makes room for many branches and leaves to grow, wisdom provides the conditions in which wholesome intentions and actions can grow. Some trees put out leaves first, while others need more time to strengthen their trunks. When we do not hastily sort these different seasons into failure and success, we can support growth more wisely.

As the sea receives many streams, there is stillness in a mind spacious enough to embrace them. Yet acceptance does not mean leaving wrongdoing unaddressed or looking away from harmful conduct. As the images of fire and wind remind us, we must firmly stop actions fueled by greed, anger, and delusion, while carefully protecting the conditions in which a wholesome mind can abide.

To say that wisdom is originally present should not be understood as the claim, “I am already perfect,” or as positing an unchanging personal soul. Body and mind change ceaselessly according to causes and conditions. Rather, it means that no being is forever excluded from the possibility of awareness and compassion, and that through practice and right conditions, this possibility can take form in the conduct of our lives.

We easily reach conclusions when another person's change is slow. We may draw a line and say, “That is just who they are,” or “No matter what I say, it is no use.” We also place the label “This is all I am capable of” on ourselves. Wise care, however, does not pull at branches to force them to grow faster. Amid sunlight and water, support and waiting, it looks for the one thing needed now.

Not giving up on someone does not mean carrying every burden in their place. We need to set boundaries against harmful conduct without reducing the whole person to their faults. Compassionate skillful means may take the form of helping at close hand, keeping a distance, or waiting quietly.

Wisdom is revealed less in grand explanations than in the way we treat one person. Today, look once more at someone you find hard to understand, and try setting down the wish to make them conform to your standards. To abandon no one while firmly stopping what is harmful, and to add one condition in which wholesome possibility may grow—that is today's practice.