May all beings be free of suffering, & the causes of suffering. May all beings have happiness, & the causes of happiness.
I try to make this compassionate wish, saying it silently, whenever I read of a child molested, or a serial killer, or someone defrauding others of their life savings, or some other example of people’s wickedness. I make it for the survivor/victim, & for the perpetrator too. And I try to repeat this when I am actually WITH someone who does something that I might ordinarily judge harshly, for example, when <<so&so>> says something racist.
In real time, when I’m in a situation, as opposed to when I’m only reading about something, I notice that sometimes it takes me a while to remember to say this. It takes me some time to invoke compassion because I dive right into anger. Or judgment, or frustration. Because I want to be away from that person, not ‘with’ them. Sometimes it takes me a long, l o n g time to say
May he be free of suffering, & the causes of suffering, may he have happiness, & the causes of happiness.
Sometimes, I’m not able to remember to say it at all. And when I do remember, I don’t know if saying this for someone actually does anything for them. I don’t know if the power of my compassionate prayer for them can travel through the ether, & affect their psyche, & their karma ……… their unsubdued, wild mind.
But it helps me. When I can remember to say it, no matter how long it takes, when I can remember to make that compassionate wish
May she be free of suffering, & the causes of suffering, may she have happiness, & the causes of happiness
it helps me. It frees my wild mind of the habit of judgment, the compulsion toward hate. It frees me of wanting to separate & be dis-continued with that person. It helps free my psyche of all the barriers I instinctively erect so that I can pretend I am not the same as that person. It gives me a mindful little slice of space/time where I can keep myself from slipping into old mental habits long enough to remember that I am not separate from others, not really, because I think & do & say terrible things too, sometimes.
And, so …….. this is a habit I wish to increase: to say, in the face of all the things that we humans do, the evil, the unkind, the unthinking ………
May we all be free of suffering, & the causes of suffering. May we all have happiness, & the causes of happiness.
And, for those many times when I do not, or cannot, remember to invoke this compassionate prayer ……
May I too be free of suffering, & the causes of suffering, may I too have happiness, & the causes of happiness
Related articles
- Cultivating Compassion by Gil Fronsdal (bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com)
I think I was exposed to evil this last few weeks. Either that or I’m going insane. I fought with love. The only useful force in the universe.
Did love win ……….??
It prevailed and I am back to Zen, sunshine, water, and positive thinking, etc.
Ah. So happy to hear:)
according to the teachings of Abraham (Esther and Jerry Hicks), one can only create his/her own reality, but by invoking higher vibrations (including that of love), one moves toward the higher self and things that are better for the soul and mind. And if everyone makes such effort of moving from negativity to more positive and optimistic thoughts, we create a better world for ourselves and for others as well. But to be able to help others, we must be able to help ourselves first. I like how both teachings (Abraham’s and Buddhism) approach anger and other negative emotions: not rejecting them as something shameful or dreadful, but just letting them run their course in silence without passing judgement, observing and being mindful.
I love that teaching too — regarding our emotions & thoughts, mindfully, w/o judging them. This has brought a great deal more peace to my, & reduced my anxiety!! In deliberately inserting a higher vibe thought, I think we really do change the world. slowly…………..
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