practice compassion

I have been wanting to get a tattoo for awhile to remind me of my Buddhist practice. I finally got the tattoo last week and in only a week can see such a difference in my practice. Having a constant visual reminder has been SO helpful, most especially when practicing compassion. And so I recommend it highly to anyone who has thought about such a visual reminder themselves. I’ll post a picture at a later date.

I have been a lot more successful at learning compassion since I’ve been involved in a 12-step group. The spiritual foundation of 12-step is anonymity. Anonymity teaches that we are all equal. It has been sobering, humbling and extremely difficult; but HIGHLY rewarding.

as I’ve been developing my compassion, I find that not only are past hurts leaving me, but my desire to “fix” past relationships or friendships is leaving me, too. I am not only having more compassion for others, but I’m finding so much more compassion for myself and allowing myself to move through, on and over.

Thanks to Rob Brezsny at Free Will Astrology for quoting it in his newsletter and making me aware of it!

Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you’ll come to realize how unnecessary it was for you to drag those burdens around with you. You’ll see that no one else other than you was responsible.
-Osho

So I picked up some books. A couple Dalai Lama and one by Thich Nhat Hanh. Gotta figure out how that’s pronounced. Anyhow, I hope they’ll help me wrap my head around this compassion stuff.

I’ve always felt that I’m a compassionate person, in general. I think I am. I’m always rooting for the underdog. I help people (and animals) on a regular basis. I do volunteer work (and have since I was 13 years old). So in some sense, I am compassionate - but the Buddhist view on compassion is so different. I mean - not different…. just… more levels to it. It’s amazing. And I want to learn it. I want to adopt more levels of compassion into my psyche.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.

I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Loss has caused me to have many hurt & angry feelings. I have lost people close to me due to whatever circumstances. Circumstances and blame do not matter. The fact is – there is loss. I sit here with hurt in my heart and anger in my soul and it is not a very happy way to be. It conflicts with my spiritual path and way of being. How do I let these feelings move through me and be replaced with feelings of love, compassion and kindness for those who have left my life? This is my quest.