What is compassion?
Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism.
Next to relieving the pain of others, compassion can be a strong tool to learn about yourself.
Most of the time when we are hit by the lighting of compassion, what we want to do is save the other from its own destiny.
Much more interesting is to meditate on that person and see, feel and understand what is going on inside yourself, than, who were you trying to save?
The meditation is as follows:
- Sit anywhere in a public place, just sit and breathe slow and deep, start looking around, just observing.
- A certain person will attract your attention.
- Without judging, observe that person closely, see how he or she is dressed, the way he or she moves, look at all the details, etcetera.
- Observe the thoughts that run through your head without judging them, let them come and go.
- Now, start to wonder, if I were dressed like that, how would I feel? If I said a thing with a voice like that, how would I feel, and so on.
- Slowly you’ll be getting to the essence of that unknown person and with it you’ll be getting to your own essence, otherwise you will bang against your defense.
- If you, like this, connect to your own essence, peace will enter into your system. Probably the need to save will be reduced.
- If you fall into judging you will start to dislike the person you wanted to save in the first place. Realize how important this unknown person has become to you. Observe her or him even closer and identify with all you see and feel.
- Thank the unknown person in silence and just observe your emotions.
