Here is a (slightly adapted) snippet from my upcoming book -- on the subject of compassion.
Compassion is the active desire to alleviate another’s suffering. It comes from the heart energy. The etymology of "compassion" is Latin/Greek, meaning ‘co-suffering’ and is related to the word patient (one who suffers).
Compassion or karuna is at the transcendental and experiential heart of the Buddha's teachings. He said that
“the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice."
And The Dalai Lama :
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
How is this relevant for the practitioner of Satoro?
In Chi Kung the masters say that there is a brain in the heart. As the heart is the emotional center of the body, the Head brain, in the matter of emotions, follows the lead of the Heart brain. If the heart is open then love and compassion will flow. If the heart is closed then compassion is shut down. The Dalai Lama once said that in the West the heart energy needs to be developed more because we live so much in our heads.
At the same time the heart energy has to be cultivated with discernment. We are challenged every day with the sight of homeless people. Do we give charity or compassion? Do we give money to some people who will only spend it to serve their drug habit? It’s a matter of discernment and insight Anatta and the heart and mind.
Is our healing given purely as a business proposition, as a means of maintenance? It’s often enough a part of the equation, but should it be the whole? Sometimes you wonder.
If it is that the Divine is becoming us and connected to us and our Shen in the Heart, and the Soul Seat in the Higher Heart, then that is the source of our healing. It is the conduit of a compassionate heart that the Divine may flow.
This is the essence of Compassion for the practitioner of Satoro. The background is complex and subtle and far removed from any thought of compassion as pity or condescension.
*** Click below to read more.
Compassion is the active desire to alleviate another’s suffering. It comes from the heart energy. The etymology of "compassion" is Latin/Greek, meaning ‘co-suffering’ and is related to the word patient (one who suffers).
Compassion or karuna is at the transcendental and experiential heart of the Buddha's teachings. He said that
“the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice."
And The Dalai Lama :
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
How is this relevant for the practitioner of Satoro?
In Chi Kung the masters say that there is a brain in the heart. As the heart is the emotional center of the body, the Head brain, in the matter of emotions, follows the lead of the Heart brain. If the heart is open then love and compassion will flow. If the heart is closed then compassion is shut down. The Dalai Lama once said that in the West the heart energy needs to be developed more because we live so much in our heads.
At the same time the heart energy has to be cultivated with discernment. We are challenged every day with the sight of homeless people. Do we give charity or compassion? Do we give money to some people who will only spend it to serve their drug habit? It’s a matter of discernment and insight Anatta and the heart and mind.
Is our healing given purely as a business proposition, as a means of maintenance? It’s often enough a part of the equation, but should it be the whole? Sometimes you wonder.
If it is that the Divine is becoming us and connected to us and our Shen in the Heart, and the Soul Seat in the Higher Heart, then that is the source of our healing. It is the conduit of a compassionate heart that the Divine may flow.
This is the essence of Compassion for the practitioner of Satoro. The background is complex and subtle and far removed from any thought of compassion as pity or condescension.
*** Click below to read more.