A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Compassion
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)
Reflection
Compassion is a
mental factor that can be developed, much as you might develop a muscle
in the gym. It takes time, constant repetition, and working with
successively heavier weights. The more time you spend caring for those
who are in pain, and the more challenging the objects of your compassion
(even people you don’t like!), the stronger and more compelling your
inclination toward compassion will become.
Daily Practice
Practice
cultivating the intention to care for those who are suffering. Plan ways
of helping others and develop a tendency toward compassion. When you do
this, compassion will become the basis on which your mind is
established. That is to say, it will become easier and more natural for
you to feel compassion as you train your mind in that direction.
Eventually it will be difficult to have a thought of ill will toward
anyone.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
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