what is compassion? compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. compassion is the...

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Page 1: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic
Page 2: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic

What is compassion?• Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering.• Compassion is a sympathetic awareness of another' distress combined with a desire to alleviate it. Kindness and caring are shown.• Service and generosity are ways that compassion

can be demonstrated

Page 3: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic

Why develop compassion in your life?

• Physical benefits. • Emotional benefits. • Spiritual benefits. • The main benefit is that it helps you to be more happy.

Compassion is one of the main tools for

achieving that happiness.

Page 4: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic
Page 5: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic

How do we cultivate compassion in our life ?

7 different practices that we can try out and perhaps incorporate into our every day life.

Dalai Lama

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Step 1Develop a morning ritual. (Meditation)

“Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not

going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind

thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, and I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

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Step 2 Practice Empathy.

Many times we are centered on ourselves and we let our sense of empathy get rusty.

« Imagine that a loved one is suffering. Something terrible has happened to him or her. Now try to imagine the pain they are going through. Imagine the suffering

in as much detail as possible. After doing this practice for a couple of weeks, you should try moving on to imagining the suffering of others you know, not

just those who are close to you.»

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Page 9: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic

To keep empathy from turning into sympathy, keep your focus on the other person, rather than allowing your empathy to shift your focus to your own experience and memory of suffering.[2

Page 10: What is compassion? Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is the desire to ease others' suffering. Compassion is a sympathetic

Step 3 Practice commonalities.

Instead of recognizing the differences between yourself and others, try to recognize what you have in common.

One favorite exercise comes from a great article from Ode Magazine — it’s a five-step exercise: Step 1: “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.”Step 2: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”Step 3: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.”Step 4: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfil his/her needs.”Step 5: “Just like me, this person is learning about life .”

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Step 4 Practice relief of suffering.

Once you can empathize with another person, and understand his humanity and suffering, the next step is to want that person to be free from suffering. This is the heart of compassion — actually the definition of it. «Imagine the suffering of a human being you’ve met recently. Now imagine that you are the one going through that suffering. Reflect on how much you would like that suffering to end. Reflect on how happy you would be if another human being desired your suffering to end, and acted upon it. Open your heart to that human being and if you feel even a little that you’d want their suffering to end, reflect on that feeling. Then, decide what you can do to help the person who is suffering.»

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A study suggests that the more you meditate on compassion, the more your brain reorganizes itself to feel empathy towards others.[4]

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Step 5 Practice the act of kindness. « Imagine again the suffering of someone you know or met recently. Imagine again that you are that person, and are going through that suffering. Now imagine that another human being would like your suffering to end — perhaps your mother or another loved one. What would you like for that person to do to end your suffering? Now reverse roles: you are the person who desires for the other person’s suffering to end. Imagine that you do something to help ease the suffering, or end it completely. Now, perform an act of kindness for the one who is suffering.»

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Step 6Move beyond to practice compassion for those who mistreat us.

Not only do we want to ease the suffering of those we love and meet, but even those who mistreat us.

“Try to imagine the background of that person. Try to imagine what that person was taught as a child. Try to imagine the day or week that person was going through, and what kind of bad things had happened to that person. Try to imagine the mood and state of mind that person was in — the suffering that person must have been going through to mistreat you that way. And understand that their action was not about you, but about what they were going through. Now think some more about the suffering of that poor person, and see if you can imagine trying to stop the suffering of that person. And then reflect that if you mistreated someone, and they acted with kindness and compassion toward you, whether that would make you less likely to mistreat that person the next time, and more likely to be kind to that person. “

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Step 7 Develop an evening routine. (Medition, Prayer)

It is highly recommended that you take a few minutes before you go to bed to reflect upon your day. Think about the people you met and talked to, and how you treated each other. Think about your goal that you stated this morning, to act with compassion towards others. How well did you do? What could you do better? What did you learn from your experiences today?

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Kind compassionate children:

*Recognize and express appreciation for others' talents and skills.*Put others' needs before their own.*Help others because they want to.*Listen and provide sympathy.*Show kindness without expecting rewards.*Tell and show others they care.*Share.*Recognize and help those less fortunate than themselves.*Try to make the world a better place.

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Community service ideas….*Recycle aluminum cans. Put the money earned into a local food bank.*Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their chores.*Take a meal to someone who is ill.*Write a letter or send a card of compassion to a victim of some recent tragedy.*Create a school bulletin board where students and teachers can recognize people who have demonstrated great compassion.*Choose a historical figure who represents compassion. Write and perform a short play about the person.

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Tips on becoming more compassionate and caring:

*Be a good listener*Look people directly in the eye when they speak*Look for kids at school who are being left out and invite them to join in activities*Stick up for someone being teased*Each week, do one nice thing for a friend or family member

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Put compassion into action:

*Be friendly to someone who needs a friend.*Do helpful things at home without being asked.*Be generous with your time and your belongings.*Create and participate in a litter control program.*Plan and participate in food and clothing drives.*Look for ways to help in any situation without being asked.*Put someone else's need before your own.*Look for ways to help in your community.*Try to understand why a family member or friend is sad.*Forgive someone who has hurt you.*Talk with your family about the problems of the homeless and find a way to help.

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You show compassion when you ...

Comfort a friend whose mother has been taken to the hospital.

Bring blankets and food to a family in need in your community.

Volunteer at a senior citizen nursing home. Take action and stop someone who is being cruel to

an animal. Listen when people confide in you. Give a sandwich and soda to someone living on the

street. Bring ice cream to a friend who has had his or her

tonsils removed. Can understand why your best friend is depressed

about a divorce. Send a donation to help people starving in a

foreign country. Tutor a younger child who is having trouble in

school.

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The poor do not need our sympathy and our pity. The poor need our love and compassion" - Mother Teresa

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It was a most unusual meeting. And it happened at a convent of the Missionaries of Charity in the Bronx, New York. It was a meeting of two women one would hardly expect to find together.One was the beautiful and charming Princess Diana of England and the other was the ailing foundress of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa. Surely, they were two of the best known women in the world, though coming from two totally different backgrounds.As they drew close, the aging Mother Teresa lifted herself from her wheel chair and hugged, kissed and embraced the lovely Princess. Then they strolled away together, arm in arm.They shared a compassion for the poor and unfortunate, especially the children. This was the bond that drew them together.Not many months later they were both called forth from this world: the Princess in a shocking auto accident that didn't have to happen; and the holy Foundress as a result of many ailments. With their deaths, the world's supply of compassion was considerably decreased."At the hour of death, when we come face to face with God . . . we will be judged on love . . . on how much love we have put into our actions . . . and not how much we have done. We cannot see Christ to express our love for Him, but we can see our neighbor and do for her/him what we would do for Christ."

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What is the great truth of Mother Teresa's life?She gave herself unconditionally to Jesus Christ through the religious life. In a loving response, He gave Himself, His presence, His healing love to her.This seems to be the only explanation for her compassionate world-embracing love -- especially of the sick poor. It's the healing love of Christ and healing love is the vocation of every Christian.This gives to others a renewed sense of self-worth. It restores a person's ability to give and receive love.It helps others to appreciate that he/she is a beautiful creation of God. Thus, it can renew and recreate hearts.It is an awesome power like to that of God Himself.

Her Great Secret