Spiritual Practice: Practicing Compassion
Compassion is the active regarding of life through the eyes of love, seeing value in all people and situations. This committed work of mind and heart restores one’s own equilibrium and sense of belovedness,
allowing for ourselves, and all others, to be known as valued members of humanity.
True compassion also offers a spirit of engagement beyond the human connection to all matters,
natural and otherwise, so that we see the sacred in ourselves, in other people, in animals and plants and all the elements of water and earth and air and fire.
We see through the eyes of love the world brought to life, and in it, we welcome a new richness into our own earthy adventure.
“Compassion is the heartbeat of humanity. We are most fully ourselves, when we see someone in the truth of his or her experience and are moved to respond with kindness and care. . . Pausing from the busyness of our lives and recognizing the tender humanity of another restores us to our own humanity. The pulse of care and connection within us resuscitates. Our hearts, normally dulled by the day’s burdens, beat freely with love. And the ensuing kindness we extend to others has the power to resuscitate their spirits as well. For compassion not only restores the heart of our own humanity; its healing care makes human once more the heart of another grown hard and cold.”
As Rogers teaches this practice, “There are three movements within the practice of compassion. Firstly, this path invites us to know, in the depth of our souls, a compassion that holds and heals us. Second, the path of compassion invites us to be liberated from the internal turbulence that disconnects us from our compassionate core. Third, the path of compassion invites us to feel genuine
compassion towards others.
“Each person is surrounded by a cosmic circle of care and beheld by a face whose eyes gaze upon him or her as beloved. Holding others in the light of this love opens our heart more fully toward them.”
Both these wonderful books are practical books. They tell us how to be compassionate. It is not always an easy business, but well worth the effort in our increasingly fractious world.
From, Practicing Compassion, Frank Rogers - The Four Movements to Practicing Compassion