PRACTICING COMPASSION

     It can be mighty easy to feel overwhelmed by the violence, suffering and sadness we see flashing across our electronic screens and in the world all around us -- and rightfully so. Humans have long been hard-wired to care about others, ever since Homo Sapiens first evolved 200,000 years ago, and possibly long before that. For most of that time, we lived in relatively small tribes and/or villages containing several dozen people who seldom travelled more than 50 miles from their birthplace in their lifetimes. In that context, if any one person became sick, injured or died, it affected everyone in the community. Consequently, an individual's ability to survive hinged on the mutual survival of everyone in the tribe, requiring a high degree of compassion and cooperation. It's in our nature to care about the suffering of those around us.

 

PRACTICAL MATTERS

     But today, most of us are living in urban settings surrounded by countless strangers, and virtually all of us inhabit a Global Village, electronically connected to billions of others throughout the planet simultaneously. If you're reading this e-letter, it's likely that you, too, spend a significant portion of each day connected to the Internet, where you're frequently deluged with news of the latest disasters befalling other humans all over the planet, within minutes of them occurring. And because our electronic devices and social media are specifically designed to be as attention-grabbing and personalized as possible, each event feels personal, powerful and potentially gut-wrenching, even if it's occurring to total strangers located halfway around the world. 

 

PRACTICING AWARENESS

     We're simply not designed to handle such wide-spread awareness of suffering! So what can we do when we find ourselves overwhelmed with sorrow or sadness in the face of the latest event? For myself, it's not practical to disconnect from mass media, nor desirable to become callous, numb or uncaring about the suffering of others. Instead, I've learned that whenever my heartstrings are being tugged by the circumstances of someone else's suffering -- whether that person is nearby, or appearing onscreen from far away -- I choose to be as fully aware as possible of the thoughts and sensations that arise in my body, mind and spirit. If, in fact, there is some physical action I can take that would be helpful, I try to take it. But more often than not, the most powerful thing I can do is to get centered in the awareness of my Oneness with Life, then open my heart to the suffering involved as I inhale, and then send blessings to the person(s) involved as I exhale - and repeat this process as long and often as practical.

 

YOUR PRACTICE

     What I'm describing here is not new; it's basically the ancient Buddhist practice of "tonglen," that combines breathwork with mindful meditation, although some version of being prayerfully compassionate also lies near the heart of all the major faith traditions. Perhaps you'll find this particular practice helpful, too. Or perhaps you have a totally different process or perspective on compassion that has worked for you - in which case I hope you'll share it with me. After all, we're all in this together.

In peace,

     Rudi Harst

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