The Dalai Lama says, “The secret to happiness is love and compassion”.
He goes on to say:
“I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.
From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.
Our need for love
Ultimately, the reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another.”
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.
Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering or unhappiness and feel motivated to help them.
Today, it’s very clear to me, that love and compassion need to take center stage in each of our lives.
When you have compassion for another, you’re not feeling judgment at all, are you?
My goal with my blogs, is to share things that you can ponder, and perhaps adopt some of the practices I share. At the least, slow down and pay attention to yourself and what you’re feeling, make some adjustments within, so you’re not living in judgment and any of those feelings that produce lower vibrations.
Scientists have started to map the biological basis of compassion. This research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy, care-giving, and feelings of pleasure light up, which often result in our wanting to approach and care for other people.
A few years ago, as I was working with someone who was often challenging me, I found I was getting irritated by her responses to me and other’s around her.
My heart expanded during a group meditation. I felt the enormous feeling of compassion toward this woman. I saw she was operating from fear, similar to how a small child might.
Impatience and irritation were replaced with compassion.
Meditation, calming yourself and becoming still using nature music, using visualizations, guided meditations or whatever form you choose, is a fairly fast way to feel compassion. Always using your breath. Taking slow breaths in and out.
Taking the time to understand people and their outlook, will help you to find compassion. It’s only human to make occasional snap judgments about others, through a lack of understanding.
If you take the time to find out who people really are, and treat them with loving kindness, they may astonish you with the wisdom they can impart or the love they can share.
I wonder, are you able to feel compassion for yourself? Do you stop long enough when you’re feeling afraid of something or you’re acting in a way that’s not serving you, to realize you too are in need of compassion? Can you be gentle with yourself? Think about it.
And when you can do what happened for me, knowing that this woman was coming from a place of fear, will you open yourself up to feel compassion for yourself and others?
My hope is you will find a way to feel love and compassion more often than not. Think about how this world would be. As a result, we would be creating a place that is so much happier.
Connie
Join me and a small group of people in paradise, October 5-12, 2018 for our Glow Kauai Spiritual Vacation Retreat.
This retreat is for you if:
- You want to step back from all of the noise in your life and have time to simply BE
- You want to be pampered with yoga, meditation, massage, energy work, and fresh, organic food
- You love being outside all day, enjoying warm ocean breezes and exploring natural wonders
- You value being part of a community that feels like family
- You want a retreat that feels like a vacation… one where you leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated
All information and videos from past retreats, are on my retreat page:
https://conniehertz.com/retreat
Contact me soon to see if this retreat could be a fit for you!
Aloha!~
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