Meeting Pain with Compassion…
“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”
― Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
Compassion is the hearts response to pain. Without it pain can be overwhelming. And it is also true that the pain then transforms into suffering. To connect with compassion takes courage. It means we stop trying to control or manipulate experience and open to life as it is. It is a turning towards rather then away and for this shift compassion is essential. The more we meet experience with an open mind and heart the more we free ourselves from limited beliefs that keep us stuck in isolation, feelings of inadequacy, resentment and the list can go on and on. Instead we learn to open to what is present in our body, mind and heart and bring a feeling of kindness, understanding and compassion. Just as we would if we saw a loved one suffering, we respond in this way that heals and reconnects us to life.
Please take a moment to read the poem below and allow the words to land in the heart.
Opening the mind and awakening the heart…
Takes recognizing
That…
Every moment is precious…
In moments of deep sadness
When we feel isolated and alone…
In moments of joy when our mind and hearts
are filled with the vibrant energy of being alive
Through joy, sorrow, loss, gain, praise, blame, fame, fortune
It’s important to remember
We all experience moments of pain
Moments of joy
Moments of grief
This is our common humanity
It’s what connects us heart to heart
In those moments
There is no me, mine or I
We are all interconnected
When we forget this there is deep suffering
So, it’s important to remember
you are not alone…
Just as you want to happy so do all living beings
Just like you suffer so do all
When we open our hearts to be with what is painful
We open to the healing power of compassion
We walk the path of wisdom together
knowing we are all drops in the ocean
that together we are the ocean
Pause…breathe…remember your true nature
“Make your mind as vast as the sky”
C. Ricardo
Last line by Matthieu Ricard