Category: compassion
walking each other home
In meditation, we patiently cultivate two qualities of the heart that are so comforting and life-changing, some call them “refuges.” Now, while loving-kindness and compassion might sound like these grand ideas, they’re actually really practical meditation…
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Compassion in Buddhism: Why does Kuan Yin have so many hands?
Kuan Yin is an archetype of compassion in Buddhism. Sometimes portrayed as female, or male, or androgynously, they manifest the impulse to help suffering beings. In his celebrated Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot observed: Human kind…
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basic human sanity
We breathe, and open our hearts no matter how difficult it feels, bringing some peace to our minds as we ask what is compassion? The ongoing events in Gaza are hard to take in. I am…
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meditation in a time of war
As I contemplate the latest news about the the situation in Gaza, I wonder how is meditation in a time of war relevant. As I write this, the world seems even more precarious than last week.…
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hello darkness my old friend
When I think about the Israel-Hamas war, I struggle for some time, before finally sighing to myself hello darkness my old friend. The other day I came across a very short poem by the 11th century…
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what if I don’t feel compassion?
When you don’t feel compassion as you scroll through the daily newsfeed horror show- just be aware of not feeling particularly compassionate. I have received emails from readers asking whether we can cultivate a mature mindfulness…
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hijacked by my news feed, again
My news feed can incline my mind toward fear, confusion and anger. But I can also re-frame my news feed to spark compassion for the suffering of others. The news. OMG, how to deal with the…
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drink deep
Meditation practice is about coming back to love and compassion, and celebrating the one who is doing it, AKA self-compassion. In one of Tara Brach’s online talks on self-compassion, she tells a story about the work…
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