Criticize no one, even if the criticism is deserved. For your words may discourage, by suggesting that improvement is impossible. Only persons of strong will power can turn negative judgment of them to good account with a strong, positive affirmation. Many years ago, disciples senior to me in my Guru’s work tried (out of envy, I think) to destroy my faith in myself. I prayed, later, “Divine Mother, they are right: I am nothing. You alone are my strength and my guide.” After all, didn’t even an ugly duckling once became a swan? Their scathing condemnation proved one of the greatest blessings of my life; it freed me to serve my Guru in ways that he himself had asked of me. Was their karma good or bad for the way they treated me? I suspect they’ll have to pay at least for their intentions. For their clear purpose was to destroy me. Ill will, like a ball attached with a rubber band to a paddle, cannot but snap back upon the paddle itself.

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