
We are going through this famous short text on cultivating compassion. Verse 4 from this text, ‘8 Verses of Mind Training’ by Langri Thangpa,’ reads:
“Whenever I see an evil being
Overwhelmed by intense negativity and suffering,
May I cherish him as something rare,
As if by chance I had found a priceless treasure.” The theme here is to learn to not shy away from difficult people, but learn to understand where they are coming from. With this intimate knowledge, we learn to forgive and love them. It does not mean we ignore the consequences of their actions. On the contrary, they need to be held accountable for harming others. Still we can have compassion for them and love them.