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Lesson
14
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Taking
the Path of Ethical Compassion |
5
of 5 |
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Practices
A group visiting with the Dalai Lama
brought to him what they thought were the most important questions
of our times — how to address the widening gap between
the rich and poor, protect the earth, educate our children
and help Tibet and other oppressed peoples of the world.
The Dalai Lama said if we have true compassion (nying je) in
our hearts, our children will be educated wisely, we will care
for the earth, and those who "have not" will be cared
for. For developing compassion he suggested this practice:
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Spend five minutes at the beginning of each
day remembering that we all want the
same things (to be happy and be loved) and
we are all connected to one another.
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Spend five minutes cherishing yourself while
breathing in and cherishing others while breathing out.
If you think about people you have difficulty
cherishing, extend your cherishing to them
anyway.
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During the day extend that attitude to everyone
you meet. Practice cherishing casual acquaintances
as well as the "important" people
in your life; cherish the people you love and
especially the people you don't like.
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Continue this practice no matter what happens
or what anyone does to you.
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To strengthen his altruism the Dalai Lama follows this
practice:
To encourage myself in this altruistic
attitude, I sometimes find it helpful to imagine
myself standing
as a single individual on one side, facing a huge
gathering of all other human beings on the
other side. Then I ask myself, 'Whose interests are
more important?' To me it is quite clear that however
important I may feel I am, I am just one
individual while others are infinite in number and
importance. 
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