Just imagine what the world would be like if all
mankind were kind, compassionate and accepting.
For the Dalai Lama, compassion is the greatest of all character
traits. We were born to be gentle and
loving.
True
compassion embodies responsibility and
action.
I’ve faced adversity and great challenges many times
in my life and felt drained and empty.
When I would ask the universe (God) for help, the answer was always the
same: go out and be there for someone
else. Sometimes I would have to dig
really deep inside myself to find the energy.
What I noticed was that, in doing so,
I was lifted up, raised above my
own struggles.
So
what exactly is compassion?
Compassion is, first of all, empathy – the ability
to step into another’s shoes. Empathy
connects us to all of mankind in the understanding that we are all one. One
person’s suffering is hurting us all. By
embracing empathy we accept our responsibility
to take action for the good of all.
Compassion honours and respects others and their individuality.
It can seem sometimes that the world is a cold and
scary place. It can appear that no one
really cares about others. There’s
widespread fear, anger, jealousy, suspicion and negativity. Feelings of low self-esteem and alienation
are epidemic. We hunger for opportunities to feel connected.
“True compassion is not just an
emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude
towards others does not change even if they behave negatively.” Dalai Lama
Where
does compassion come from?
We are born to be both the givers and receivers of
compassion. It must be nurtured from
birth. And, as we grow up, we must see
and feel it in action, starting at home within the family. Without that experience, a child cannot know
the joy, fulfillment and safety of this deep connection. What happens in the formative years is
crucial. A child can feel and exhibit
empathy before the age of two.
A
WORD OF CAUTION:
Being
compassionate does not mean “fixing”, controlling or even giving advice. That is your
self-serving EGO at work. What all of us
long for is to be heard and to be understood, and included. There is no shortage of “advice” out there. The action that’s most important is that of
being present to others. When you are truly present, your
Ego, your judgments and your attachments to outcome are absent. In the short video, the Dalai Lama describes unbiased compassion.
“The true expression of
non-violence is compassion.”
