One of my greatest passions is to encourage compassion and empathy in myself and in everyone around me. This week, I plan to be mindful of opportunities to practice compassion and be an example of compassion for others – join me!
The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the subject of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with." (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Namaste,
Carolyn
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1 comment:
Very true, very lovely post. I need to remember to read your blog more often; there's always some good mind food on here!
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