Dear Friends,
Yesterday, we tuned into the first aspect of compassion – empathy, the quivering of the heart in response to suffering. Today, we look translating that empathy into responsiveness.
Christina Feldman starts this section:
Empathy teaches us to listen to and understand suffering and its causes. Embodiment is concerned with what we do with that understanding. Embodiment asks for courage.
page 69
Joseph Goldstein echoes this:
Being willing to come close to suffering takes empathy a step further. Compassion is not only feeling what others are going through, but also being motivated to act on that feeling. As compassion grows in us, we begin to actively engage with the suffering in the world, responding to the various needs of beings in whatever way is appropriate and possible.
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, page 364
Later, he adds,
There is no particular prescription for what we should do. There’s no hierarchy of compassionate action. The field of compassion is limitless—it is the field of suffering beings. We can each find our own way.
page 365
This can be inspiring, but it can also seem a little daunting! But we bring it back to our deepest aspiration.
Christina: “Courage asks for perseverance, the willingness to realign our lives moment to moment with a compassionate heart.” (page 71)
Joseph: “So each of us, in our own way, can plant and water the seeds of right thought and a kind heart, and slowly they will grow and become the guiding principles of our lives. And even at those times when we’re not acting from this place of wisdom and compassion, it can still be the reference point that reminds us of other choices.” (page 367)
Elisha Goldstein wrote a post at the beginning of the year, where he listed several examples of small ways we can practice “Everyday Compassion“. It’s one way to plant and water those seeds:
With appreciation for your dedication,
Andrea
Beautiful!