A few weeks ago I attended a lecture by the Dalai Lama and his interpreter Thupten Jinpa.
It opened my eyes and answered questions I had for a long time. Such as:
- What exactly is compassion in Buddhism?
- What steps are important in practicing compassion?
- How do you not lose yourself in compassion for the other?
- What about the helping professions? And the burn-outs that occur after people have been exposed to a lot of suffering?
If you have the same questions, then keep reading this and the following posts as all questions will be answered.
All people are looking for happiness. In this time, happiness is often attached to ego and greed. Material things temporarily fill our sense of happiness. Status and prestige give you a sense of happiness and the feeling of having achieved something. This luck is superficial and depending on the world and people around you.Real happiness does not require these conditions. It is in ourselves. As long as we close our eyes to our inner world and continue to buy and give in to ego-impulses, we might feel happy temporary but soon will continue to suffer. Real satisfaction is missing. It is inside of us.
Emotional Hygiene
According to the Dalai Lama, it is emotional hygiene that we lack in this Western society. We are exposed to an infinite number of incentives that reach us via the Internet, but also work environment, stress. We all know very well how to care for our physical body. We are clean and I would almost say too clean … That bit of ‘too much’ should be used for attention to our emotional hygiene. This includes the emotions, but also thoughts, mental hygiene. We can not deny that the number of incentives is a lot and only increases. Certainly for the vulnerable group of people this weighs heavily.
It appears that there are two different groups of people in the world. Twenty percent of the population is more cautious, paying more attention to risks and danger to people. They were the ones who took the poisonous berries out from the harvest in earlier times. They have a purpose in society. But these people are overwhelmed by the speed of society. Too much chance of too much input and stimuli. It is a heavy burden. On the other hand, we see the daredevils, who have less or no prudence. They thrive much better in this society.
Compassion and love are the solution according to the Dalai Lama.
Buddhism does not know a creator. The shared denominator is love. According to Buddhism, we are all the same. We all exist out of love. That is why compassion is the technique that is being practiced to develop yourself. Compassion first to yourself. Compassion to others if you have acquired compassion for yourself.
So what is compassion exactly? In my next post I will explain it practically using a step to step guide, which you can use in your daily practice and for your emotional hygiene. It makes the distinction between empathy and compassion and how you can prevent losing yourself in the process of practicing compassion.
So stay tuned!
Om shanti, shanti, shanti
If you want to continue reading, this might be interesting for you as well:
Fundamentals I: The Yogic Lifestyle
Love without Attachment
Ahimsa ~ What you should understand before practicing yoga
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