RIGHT INTENTION
Cultivating Compassion
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Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on compassion, for when you develop meditation on compassion,
any cruelty will be abandoned. (MN 62)
The manifestation of compassion is non-cruelty. (Vm 9.94)
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We are all born
with the innate capacity for compassion, but that does not mean we will
naturally express compassion. Like everything else, expressing
compassion is something we learn to do or not do. The practice of right
intention involves the deliberate development of benevolent states of
mind such as compassion, and that will only happen when we do so again
and again. Seeking out opportunities to be compassionate, we strengthen
that muscle.
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Each of the brahma-viharas,
the sublime states of mind, is paired with an opposite to which it is
the antidote. Compassion is the antidote to cruelty, one of the most
heinous human emotions. Cruelty is the wish for beings to experience
greater suffering; compassion is the wish for them to be relieved of
their suffering. Look for instances of suffering around you and direct
to each the healing power of a compassionate mind.
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Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy
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