Compassion

[Tarka the Duck]

Compassion is a sense of shared suffering, and as a direct result of that, a desire to alleviate that suffering naturally arises.
It is an outcome of the empathetic feeling and comes from being able to feel the situation from someone else's perspective. Some may choose to label that as ego-driven interference...and others may feel that non-action is equivalent to indifference.

I see it as one of the most important and profound subjects, and should underpin every aspect of this relative world...I would even go so far as to say that is a natural law! And if it's not, it should be

There's a great book by Simon Baron-Cohen called Zero Degrees of Empathy where is examines the premise that violence can only exist in the absence of empathy and that a lack of empathy - thoughtless or cruel behaviour - stems from "people turning people into objects".

[Finefeather]

Posted by pie'n'eal (here)
You all are starting to sound totally ridiculous, and using this topic for your own aggrandisement.

Kathie's Mother has Motor neuron disease, near total paralysis. She should have been left on her own, because it was where she should be?

Grow up!

Compassion is getting stuck in and helping!

I guess you have never wondered what Kathie's Mother's soul really wanted to experience in this life.
And obviously we help people in life, that's part of your growth to help and love those around you when someone cannot fend for themselves, that is not compassion, that all depends on your motive.
"getting stuck in and helping" is not compassion, do I need compassion when I get stuck in and help someone with the dishes?
Your wisdom is questionable.

[Tarka the Duck]

I guess you have never wondered what Kathie's Mother's soul really wanted to experience in this life.

Aside from the fact that you have no idea whether Tony considered this matter or not, none of us is able to answer that question.
We each have to follow what we see as the most beneficial course of action: in this particular situation, getting stuck in and helping was exactly what her body and mind needed in this life. Doing otherwise would have caused her unbearable suffering: if that was what her soul had wanted in this life, then we were prepared to take the consequences of interfering with that.

[Ceedub]

When compassion is Known, forgiveness is transcended.

[Sierra]

Posted by Wakytweaky (here)

Posted by Sierra (here)
I read somewhere recently on another thread (I apologize, I've been grazing widely and I have no idea where it was or who posted it.) that you have to love yourself as you love no one else in the world, and that is the love, that is the source of love that can be poured out on the world.

I've been ruminating on that. It makes sense. If you are not the source, there is no source.

Love youse guys.

That's very nice Sierra and you know what?

I've been thinking about what you wrote here and suddenly it hit me.
This love for self and all other things is already there. It's not something you have to do.... it's there if you want it or not. It's only hidden behind the mind.
So .....it is absolutely true what you said, but the love is already there.

Maybe I'm rambling a bit...
not such a word smith as some are haha, but to me it felt good to recognize this.

Yes! Quieting the mind, getting back to the source is a loverly thing to do ... (nudge nudge wink wink)

[Eram]

Posted by Sierra (here)
Yes! Quieting the mind, getting back to the source is a loverly thing to do ... (nudge nudge wink wink)

hehe.... I'm working on that Sierra. For me it is very nice to be in a phase where I can read a post like yours which makes me feel like I have to do something to be able to become someone and after that come to the realisation that I don't have to do anything because it's already there.


Anyway... to throw in my understanding of compassion....
Compassion to me is, recognising the thing that someone is going through without giving in to the need to change that persons situation into something that I believe to be a better situation, but rather ... hmmm.. I'm lost for words here. I can feel it ..... but it's to difficult to put into words. It is something very selfless.
I have it with my kids sometimes... I can see them struggling with a situation and I force myself to stay in my own 'I am' zone and allow their situation to be just their situation. It is an allowing .... and a feeling for at the same time.
hmmm....... rambling again sorry!

[<8>]

Hi...


A really old lady who live next door to me, she use to walk her little dog everyday. You know, real slow but she got where she was supposed to go.
I always took the time to listen and she was so positive even though she struggled in life.

A few weeks ago, A big rottweiler literally bite her little dog into pieces, and I have not seen the old lady after this.
Now, what I have noticed after this, is how everybody I meet bring up this story. And there are more details how the little dog continues to struggle.
And every time I ask, have anyone talked to the old lady, because it was her best friend who got killed so she must be really sad now.

Almost everyone looks at me like who cares, and some even say she was a weird old lady.
People are so caught up in the violence, it's like the drug addicts wanting a new fix = as in more details about how terrible it was.

Today I was thinking that I wanted to hug her if I ever saw her again, that is compassion to me. To be able to see past everything.
It's uncondionally, it's beyond all our little mind games in this reality.

She one time ask me about quotes in the bible that had her worried, I just told her that should not take everything literally.
Because we all do mistakes and it still were normal people who wrote the bible.....

I hope she makes it through this...

[Belle]

We've spent a lot of time and words attempting to describe compassion, and teach compassion, and explain the parameters of compassion...all the while avoiding the point of this thread. It's created an avalanche and war of words.

Is it really that difficult? Or must the simplest of answers continue to slip past our notice because we all know (little k) so much.

Boy, do we have a long way to grow.

[music]

another bob: To forgive everybody everything forever -- that to me is the beginning of true compassion.

Never forgetting that everybody includes ourselves. We must also have compassion toward ourselves.

[Rahkyt]

Posted by Tarka the Duck (here)
We are all flawed human beings. We are all susceptible to acting from ego. So what to do, eh? For me, an attempt to help is preferable, even if it may not be done from an ultimately pure motivation.

This is a decision to be made by each individual, and perhaps it is not up to others to judge that decision.

OK, Kathy. You edited this quite a while later, let me address your edit, which is the inclusion of my quote and all that came after:

when that judgmental nature is in total opposition to the help being offered, when it is derogatory in nature, it is indeed a sign that we are a work in progress.

compassion in that example is understanding that everyone involved must be protected within the context of the space they are sharing.

if i'm telling people they need to be a certain way and then i'm calling those people names, calling them deluded, stupid, at the same time what does that say about me?

i suppose there is a tough kind of compassion. my natal expression and persona (biological hardwiring) is as sun and ascendant scorpio. i retain much of that in my expression. i can be harsh sometimes. as you say, we are works in progress.

i am always willing to be open, to share, to be friendly. i do not hold grudges. i release, feel compassion, engage in lojong and wish for the best for all sentient beings, including you and tony and everyone else i interact and those i do not interact with. that is indicative of the fact that i try very hard not make judgments about others. but i do recognize patterns of behavior and if i see them constantly repeating themselves over and over i will comment on the pattern.

but patterns can change. recognizing that and allowing for it is the heart of compassion.

[lyubomir]

Hi Fred Steeves,

You explain something from very deep of you heart. This is something very special...

Keep doing you my friend!

Kind Regards,

Lyubomir

[karelia]

Thread closed for now, upon request.