Compassion

Compassion in action is paradoxical and mysterious. It is absolute yet continually changing. It accepts that everything is happening exactly as it should, and yet it works with a full-hearted commitment to change. It sets goals but knows that the process is all there is. It is joyful in the midst of suffering and hopeful in the face o...f overwhelming odds. It is simple in a world of complexity and confusion. It is done for others, but it nurtures the self. It shields in order to be strong. It intends to eliminate suffering, knowing that suffering is limitless. It is action arising from emptiness.

When we look at the vast sadness and suffering in the world, we often experience intense pain in our hearts. The suffering so often seems cruel, unnecessary, and unjustified - reflecting a heartless universe. The human greed and fear that are causing much of the suffering seem out of control. But when our hearts open in the midst of this, we want to help. This is the experience of compassion.

Compassion is the tender opening of our hearts to pain and suffering. When compassion arises in us, we see and acknowledge what we often push away - the parts of life that cause us sadness, anger, or outrage. The powerful awakening of our own compassion can tune us not just to the nurturing and sustaining forces of the world but to the oppressive and destructive ones as well. When we open to these directly and become familiar with them, instead of avoiding them as we often do, we are momre likely to hear ways to respond with love and support to relieve the suffering. When the pain is our own, we want to end it. If we can't do this by ourselves, we long for help. When it is not our cry, but someone else's, compassion allows us to feel it as our own, to feel the same longing, to hear our hearts calling us to help. The Dalai Lama has said, "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot service. With them, we can make a joint effort to solve the problems of the whole of humankind." - Ram Dass

Darwin's Perspective: Compassion is something that every human being can relate to no matter their position in life. It is something that we all know and understand. We understand what it is to be compassionate and well feel what it is like when others have shown compassion towards us in our time of need. But "compassion in action" is another thing all together.

Compassion in action calls us to choose love in our everyday lives. There is ample opportunity to be compassionate in each day. In ways both big and small, there are countless opportunities to make compassion a verb. It is something we do rather than experience. Compassion is one way we unify the purpose of Humanity to choose love and unite Humanity.

But why be compassionate? It is certainly not an obligation. There is no dogma or rule that requires us to be compassionate. No one fears retribution from God for not being compassionate. And with our compassionate acts being delivered "in the moment," we don't often experience the after effect. Often times our compassion in action is a moment in time that makes differences that we never get a chance to truly experience. Compassion is choosing love without expectation.

But this is precisely what will change the world! When we put our compassion in action without expectation, we choose love and unite Humanity with our actions. And this is where the transformation of Humanity occurs. In the moment when you choose love without expectation, you give love. This is the ultimate purpose of your life and compassion in action is one way you can put choosing love into your day.

Jai Gurudev