The most precious potential

As budding Bodhisattvas practicing universal compassion, no one is left out of our compassion. This means everyone is included, even the most vile and violent individual. For everyone has this most precious potential to be fully pure. This is our Buddha nature. Even the mosquito has it. Even Adolf Hitler had it. Even Mao Zedong had it. Even Joseph Stalin had it. Even Osama bin Laden had it. We must distinguish the person from his/her actions. This is often hard to fully understand. For the harmful actions, he/she must be held accountable. Yet we still maintain compassion for the person, for even the vilest has the potential to reform. Angulimala was a vile person at the time of the Buddha. His name means ‘necklace of thumbs’ for he killed 999 people. When he met the Buddha, who told him to kill his mother and father, he realized the deeper meaning, to kill his destructive emotions. He purified through intensive meditation and practice and became an ārhat, realizing things as they are. Sorry for the long post.