Compassion

Compassion

by Polona Somrak

When we are ready to open our minds and our hearts, and know that we can never know everything about any situation which occurs, we can then see the whole world through different eyes. We are then ready to be humble and full of humility, reach for the hands of others and great everything and everyone with a smile. We are then truly compassionate towards one another and only look at each other with unconditional love.

"Imagine walking along a sidewalk with your arms full of groceries, and someone roughly bumps into you so that you fall and your groceries are strewn over the ground. As you rise up from the puddle of broken eggs and tomato juice, you are ready to shout out: "You idiot! What's wrong with you? Are you blind?" But just before you can catch your breath to speak, you see that the person who bumped you is actually blind. He, too, is sprawled in the spilled groceries, and your anger vanishes in an instant, to be replaced by sympathetic concern: "Are you hurt? Can I help you up?"

Our situation is like that. When we clearly realize that the source of disharmony and misery in the world is ignorance, we can open the door of wisdom and compassion. Then we are in a position to heal ourselves and others."

(B. Allan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up)