Mastering the Art of Handling Gossip and Compliments : หน้า 30/207

When some people learn they are being gossiped about, they become so furious that they could kill the person who started the rumor. But if we know how to turn our ears into a wok handles, those words would have no effect on us. Soon the gossip will blow away with the wind. Even when we hear some people speak ill of us, we should not take it to heart. Just let them curse. As long as we do not take it to heart, the obscenities will return to the person who started it, because they are the first person to hear their own words. Our grandparents also remind us that, even if we do not get angry over these ill words, we should not immediately think we are great. It is greater when a person does not even smile when they are complimented. They remain serene while they consider the reason for the compliment and if it is rational. This person is truly a special person. Most people tend to be content and proud when they receive a compliment. For example, a girl is so content and proud when she receives compliments from her boyfriend. She decides to get married just because she was so infatuated by a compliment such as, "My dear, you are so beautiful," and ends up having a lot of children. If she only remained serene and not so infatuated with the compliment, she could have lived comfortably by herself, without having headaches wondering if her husband is having an affair. A truly wise person is one who knows what is worth listening to and what is not worth listening to, in order to keep the mind serene. - Therefore, a person who knows how to control the mind by knowing when to make their ears like wok handles tends to have a peaceful mind. This is a second magic form of conduct that prevents divorce. 3) Body like a doormat means dedicating all of one’s energy and dedicating one’s life to performing good deeds with virtuous actions, and speech, and thoughts, without attitudes or conditions. Our grandparents used this metaphor that compares the body to a doormat to teach us; they want to remind us, whatever task we perform, it must be an honest task. We must perform it using all of our knowledge, ability and virtue. We must not have an attitude or be arrogant. We must not be afraid of hard work and we must be able to dedicate our life to the task to produce the best results. Our grandparents also improved their lives by following this principle. Whenever they talk about their success, they can always speak with pride. For example, whenever they taught their children about the virtues of being honest, and knowing they had always been