Friday 17 April 2015

NEW MOON - Compassion

One who finds refuge in the Buddha
in the Dhamma and in the Sangha
sees with penetrating insight 
suffering, its cause, its release 
and the Way leading to true freedom.

Dhammapada 190 - 191

Sometimes it is a case of insight leading to compassion; at other times it could be compassion which leads on to insight. Either way, if our hearts truly trust that freedom is possible, then everyday life is the teaching. Sitting on a bus, for example, observing those around us, try opening to the universality of suffering. Seeing how we are all in this together can lead to an understanding of selflessness. There really is no ‘my’ suffering or ‘your’ suffering, there is just suffering. Or perhaps it happens the other way around: our commitment to the Refuges reveals a clear perspective on how clinging causes suffering, giving us a sense of the shared sadness of unawareness – compassion.

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