Or someone that you really care about. I swear this will change your life.
I started doing this when I was still working in the food industry. It is a hard industry to work in, considering the amount of people you interact with on a daily basis, and who will show you the full spectrum of humanity.
I was at a great little coffee shop, that in all honesty had some really great people that came in, but every now and again, I was met with someone very frustrating for me. And every now and again, I had a bad day, some times these things would coincide with each other.
So I got to thinking about what I could do to not let someone else's unhappiness affect my happiness (or on bad days, my unhappiness) and it occurred to me that if that negative person was Buddha, how would I treat them?? I would of course treat them with respect and compassion, because that is what I believe Buddha should be treated with. Then I thought, maybe Buddha would be teaching me a lesson in showing compassion for someone who didn't outwardly 'deserve it', and then I thought about why a fellow human being wouldn't deserve to be treated with compassion and respect, and I had a great understanding and realization that EVERYONE deserves to be treated with respect and compassion.
So from that day on, I would just repeat the mantra "treat them like they are Buddha" every time I had a customer that evoked an initial negative response in me, which would switch that moment from a negative to a positive one, and in truth, nine times out of ten, it made a difference in their day too (even if I didn't directly see it).
I also treat everyone out side of my working life (this has carried over into my healing practice) as though they were Buddha, sometimes the purpose of driving is to learn patience, and having compassion and respect for other drivers has made my driving experience far more enjoyable. And every time I am in a situation in which service is being exchanged - like being in a coffee shop, I treat the person who is serving me with the same compassion and respect I know that I deserve, because it all comes back full circle. What you put out there you will receive.
So if the "Buddha" thing doesn't work for you, place in someone that you feel very lovingly towards, and whom you would want other people to treat with respect and compassion, no matter the circumstance.
Treat women like they are your mother, sister, best friend, girlfriend, partner.
Treat men like they are your father, brother, best friend, boyfriend, partner.
Treat children like they are your own, your niece or nephew.
I think that if we all strive to treat everyone like they are Buddha, this world will be a happier place, and perhaps teaching this to everyone and putting it into daily practice is a good start to healing the dis-ease of bullying.
