suffering – Human Values Institute

The joy of love

Joy comes in many forms. The subtle lasting ones are the best. Even better is when the joys are dedicated to others, in the service of others, bringing love to others. Then the joy radiates […]

Compassion is an often-used word, but rarely understood. According to the Buddha, compassion is the relief of suffering. So, what is suffering? Buddha used the word ‘dukkha.’ We do not have an English equivalent, so […]

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 […]

Empathy and compassion

Last night in Tokyo with my Human Values Institute group we discussed in some detail the distinctions between empathy and compassion. I had just stepped off a 12+ hour flight, and spent about 20 hours […]

Offer happiness and peace to all my mother

This awesome text on compassion written nearly 1300 years ago, called ‘8 Verses of Mind Training’ by the humble Samurai Spiritual Warrior Langri Thangpa.’ Verse 7 reads: “In short, may I directly and indirectly Offer […]

The most important days of the year in the Buddhist calendar

Today is one of the 4 most important days of the year in the Buddhist calendar. It is the day of miracles when the Buddha displayed miracles to sustain the nascent Buddhist tradition. The karmic […]

The root of the problem

For those interested in understanding the teachings of the Buddha, to eliminate suffering for oneself and others, this schema presented in the last post is crucial to understand. The root of the problem is a […]

Distorting reality

Imagining our early anger as a cloud that dissipates, transforming anger into tolerance, can be very effective. Yet to fully get rid of our anger, and all of our destructive emotions like jealousy, pride, greed, […]

Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hahn said

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” And more wisdom again wrapped in love from Thich Nhat […]

Humility

This chronic disease of cherishing ourselves is the cause giving rise to our unsought suffering. Recognizing this, we seek the courage and strength to blame, destroy, and say no to this monstrous demon of selfishness. […]