Living in the world, but not part of the world is the best way to serve others. A Bodhisattva strives to help all others. In order to help, we must know their thoughts, feelings, intentions, goals, and struggles, yet not be knocked off balance in the face of challenges or adversity. In this way Buddhist compassion is infused with wisdom, the wisdom that recognizes appearances are not real. This is a similar conclusion that quantum physicists come to regarding all physical things in the universe – they appear one way, but exist in another. Everything appears solid, independent, and permanent. Yet when we look deeper, we cannot find these solid, independent, and permanent things! Thus, everything is like an illusion, appearing one way yet existing in another. This understanding frees us from taking things personally and getting too attached. Ironically it opens our heart to more compassion and love. In this way we live in the world, but are not part of it in terms of buying into the illusion.
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How to cultivate compassion
People are often confused about how to cultivate compassion. There are several approaches. One method is moving beyond empathy to compassion. Empathy is feeling like the other person is feeling. We often “take on” or […]
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Never give up
NEVER GIVE UP. No matter what is going on, NEVER GIVE UP. Develop the heart. Too much energy in our country is spent developing the mind, instead of the heart. BE COMPASSIONATE. Not just to […]
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The Buddhist understanding of compassion
The word compassion is often misunderstood. In English it has Christian overtones that include pity, turning the other cheek, and weakness. It is often seen as powerless. But the Buddhist understanding of compassion is much […]