For compassion and presence

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”  ― Mother Teresa 

 “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.”  ― Dailai Lama XIV

Summers afford many an opportunity to change up the routine. In that spirit, for this 1^st Wednesday August wellness email, I simply invite you to ponder these few words.

“It doesn’t matter what our spiritual, political, or social background is, we all long for tenderness, understanding, and safety. What gives meaning to our lives is to give and receive the care, sensitivity, and love that nourish our spirits…

What difference would it make to wake in the morning and greet your family, the stranger beside you on the bus, the troublesome colleague, with the intention to listen to them wholeheartedly and be present for them? Compassion doesn’t always call for grand or heroic gestures. It asks you to find in your heart the simple but profound willingness to be present, with a commitment to end sorrow and contribute to the well-being and ease of all beings."

-             - Christina Feldman, Compassion: listening to the cries of the world

          “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”  ―Aesop

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful then a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”  ― Mahatma Gandhi

For Presence

Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence. Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.                                                

May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.

       - John O'Donohue (1956-2008), To Bless the Space Between Us

  

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” – Psalm 103:8

[An aside: I read that the word for compassion, in Hebrew, is the plural of the word “womb”; to have compassion is to be towards someone a little bit like every mother is to her own child. Another source says the root of the word has the primary idea of cherishing, soothing, and in a gentle emotion of the mind.]

The Buddha was once asked by a disciple, “Would it be true to say that part of our practice is to develop loving kindness and compassion?” “No,” he answered. “It would be true to say that the whole of our practice is to develop loving kindness and compassion.”