dalin
10-19-2007, 01:58 AM
In The Presence Of Difficulty
Compassion
Compassion is the ability to see the deep connectedness between
ourselves and others. Moreover, true compassion recognizes that all
the boundaries we perceive between ourselves and others are an
illusion. When we first begin to practice compassion, this very deep
level of understanding may elude us, but we can have faith that if we
start where we are, we will eventually feel our way toward it. We
move closer to it every time we see past our own self-concern to
accommodate concern for others. And, as with any skill, our
compassion grows most in the presence of difficulty.
We practice small acts of compassion every day, when our loved ones
are short-tempered or another driver cuts us off in traffic. We
extend our forgiveness by trying to understand their point of view;
we know how it is to feel stressed out or irritable. The practice of
compassion becomes more difficult when we find ourselves unable to
understand the actions of the person who offends us. These are the
situations that ask us to look more deeply into ourselves, into parts
of our psyches that we may want to deny, parts that we have repressed
because society has labeled them bad or wrong. For example, acts of
violence are often well beyond anything we ourselves have
perpetuated, so when we are on the receiving end of such acts, we are
often at a loss. This is where the real potential for growth begins,
because we are called to shine a light inside ourselves and take
responsibility for what we have disowned. It is at this juncture that
we have the opportunity to transform from with! in.
This can seem like a very tall order, but when life presents us with
circumstances that require our compassion, no matter how difficult,
we can trust that we are ready. We can call upon all the light we
have cultivated so far, allowing it to lead the way into the darkest
parts of our own hearts, connecting us to the hearts of others in the
understanding that is true compassion
Compassion
Compassion is the ability to see the deep connectedness between
ourselves and others. Moreover, true compassion recognizes that all
the boundaries we perceive between ourselves and others are an
illusion. When we first begin to practice compassion, this very deep
level of understanding may elude us, but we can have faith that if we
start where we are, we will eventually feel our way toward it. We
move closer to it every time we see past our own self-concern to
accommodate concern for others. And, as with any skill, our
compassion grows most in the presence of difficulty.
We practice small acts of compassion every day, when our loved ones
are short-tempered or another driver cuts us off in traffic. We
extend our forgiveness by trying to understand their point of view;
we know how it is to feel stressed out or irritable. The practice of
compassion becomes more difficult when we find ourselves unable to
understand the actions of the person who offends us. These are the
situations that ask us to look more deeply into ourselves, into parts
of our psyches that we may want to deny, parts that we have repressed
because society has labeled them bad or wrong. For example, acts of
violence are often well beyond anything we ourselves have
perpetuated, so when we are on the receiving end of such acts, we are
often at a loss. This is where the real potential for growth begins,
because we are called to shine a light inside ourselves and take
responsibility for what we have disowned. It is at this juncture that
we have the opportunity to transform from with! in.
This can seem like a very tall order, but when life presents us with
circumstances that require our compassion, no matter how difficult,
we can trust that we are ready. We can call upon all the light we
have cultivated so far, allowing it to lead the way into the darkest
parts of our own hearts, connecting us to the hearts of others in the
understanding that is true compassion