The Power of Permeation

There is a mutual influence and permeation among sentient beings. Whoever you spend time with, you will unknowingly be influenced by their habits, character, temperament, wholesome or unwholesome mental actions, and so on. If a person keeps a dog and is always with the dog, the dog has the dog's habits and the person has the person's habits. Over time, constantly watching the dog's gaze, movements, eating, and its habits of walking, sitting, and lying down, one will unknowingly be influenced by the dog's habits and mental disposition, without being aware of it oneself; even one's appearance may be imperceptibly influenced. But the dog is even more susceptible to being influenced by the person, because a person's power is stronger than a dog's. In this mutual influence, the dog receives more and heavier influence, so the dog's habits become close to a human's, and in a later life it can easily be reborn in a human body. Having attained a human body, it will then be understanding, clever, and quick-witted. 

Of course, a dog being influenced by a person is a good thing, but what would be the result of a person being influenced by a dog? Like attracts like. If a person constantly watches a dog, their appearance will also quietly change, though it is not easy to notice. Although in this life there may be no change, or only a slight change, when the seeds of influence mature in a later life, the change will occur. If you have become accustomed to being with dogs, with deep affection and a very intimate relationship, then at the time of the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava), a dog's realm will manifest, and you will unknowingly follow the dog and be reborn into a dog's womb. 

For example, if you are always with a person who stutters, someone whose speech is halting and stumbling, at first you may feel it doesn't matter and you will not become a stutterer, but over time obstacles will arise in your speech, and the longer the time, the greater the obstacles—this is being slowly permeated and influenced. The aspects in which one is influenced include appearance, manner of speaking, tone of voice, and habits, including dietary habits and habits of walking, sitting, and lying down. 

At our current stage of practice, we are easily influenced, and unwholesome dharmas are easier to be influenced into than wholesome dharmas, because in our minds afflictions far outweigh goodness; we are accustomed to afflictions and unaccustomed to goodness, we have resistant feelings toward wholesome dharmas, and yet we readily accept unwholesome ones. For example, when we encounter people gossiping and discussing others' conflicts/disputes/gossip in a crowd, we easily become interested and even join in the disputes; but when we encounter praise of others' good qualities, we are unwilling to follow along and often just keep silent—except for those we are close with or who are useful to us. Those who throw stones at someone who has fallen into a well are common, while those who offer charcoal in the snow are rare. Therefore, if you want to practice and transform yourself, you must choose to draw near to good people and keep away from people heavy with afflictions. Those who engage in gossip and places of gossip must all be avoided. In this way, the mind will gradually draw close to goodness and away from evil, afflictions can be subdued, afflictive karma will not easily be created, no seeds of unwholesome karma will be left behind, and future lives will be easy, without the obstruction of afflictions.