Compassion

In reading a quote from the Dalai Lama today (copied at the bottom of this blog), I started thinking about compassion. For some people, it comes naturally; for others, it's like speaking a foreign language. I used to think (perhaps naively) that all people aspired to be more compassionate towards others. Now, I'm more inclined to think the thought never even shows up on some people's radar screens.

You may have noticed I haven't written anything in the past few days...it's not for lack of happenings or realizations. In fact, the opposite is true. I'm just not sure I'm ready to share them yet, and my poker face has never been one of my strong points.

So for now, suffice to say that I agree with the Dalai Lama. And that I think the world would be a better place if everyone thought a little more about others, and a little less about themselves.

Developing genuine compassion for our loved ones is the obvious and appropriate place to start in our spiritual practice. The impact our actions have on our close ones will generally be much greater than on others, and therefore our responsibilities toward them are greater. Yet we need to recognize that, ultimately, there are no grounds for discriminating in their favor: all beings equally deserve our compassion.