kindness and compassion: “… Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible …” … “… I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquillity comes from the development of love and compassion …” ~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama

dawn mountain lake tranquillity kindness compassion dalai lama

The struggle with the COVID crisis continues as the virus surges in the form of the Delta variant … yet sadly, there is still – after well over a year – a lack of universal acceptance and common understanding about its devastating impact on humanity … a most puzzling and tragic consequence is the emergence of inexplicable and increasing hatred and divisiveness that keeps popping up with alarming frequency … all of which naturally brings despair, anxiety, and fear …

Yet … in the midst of this suffering … even as we “battle” the virus for our physical health, we can also – very consciously – nourish our emotional well being by sowing the seeds of kindness and compassion … then cultivating it so that qualities like love, understanding, forgiveness, and joy can flourish both individually and collectively … qualities that dissolve separation … qualities that bring us together not just as a family but as a “human family” …

In this regard, Piero Ferrucci’s reminder is most apropos “… When we are kind, we are more concerned with others, therefore less enslaved by our ego and its tyranny; the monsters of anxiety and depression have fewer hooks; the blocks and the encumbrances caused by excessive attention to ourselves disappear …”

So, today we’ll simply review some of our past posts  on kindness and compassion – mostly short posts … and make this post a “container of reminders” for these two most important qualities …

But before that … let’s look at some of the kindness and compassion steeped actions we can undertake in these troubling times …

Go Fund Me continues to be a platform (amongst many others) for exercising – and deepening – our kindness and compassion. To this end, we have selected a few “pertinent to this time” campaigns that bring relieffor animals during natural disaster (like the llming IDA Hurricane) … for a family that lost the father – a marine in Afghanistan – while expecting a new baby … for small businesses … for restaurant workers – the world over …

We are all facing financial challenges but IF your situation allows you to donate and help then please do so …

Of course, there are many more worthy and noble efforts – the ones highlighted here are simply suggestions that may inspire you to donate to whatever effort you are drawn to …

Also, … here’s a GoFundMe blog post Fundraising for Coronavirus Relief: How You Can Help the Fight that offers a very comprehensive map for the COVID relief efforts including how you can help, what to give to, and lots more … We are supporting some of these campaigns personally and also as Stillness Speaks (through donations).

 

Now …  back to … cultivating … kindness and compassion

Kindness and Compassion: Reminders

Let’s start with Einstein’s Reflections on Kindness and Meaning where Einstein said: “The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.”

kindness einstein

Then … review Peter Russell’s unpacking of Kindness from his book Seeds of Awakening … kindness that is “… The Golden Rule found at the heart of the world’s spiritual traditions …” … or …

As Aldous Huxley shares: “After 45 years of research & study, the best advice I can give is to be a little kinder.”

kindness dissolves fear

Next … let’s consider Buddha’s reminder (at the early onset of COVID in April 2020) about the eleven advantages arising from lovingkindness … which, offers an easy rationale to be kind …

And, Piero Ferrucci gives us a simple way to cultivate kindness: “… “Captivation”—the rapt, continuous attention to beauty—allows us to be more in touch with intimate feelings such as love and tenderness. … Enjoying beauty is the easiest way to be kind …”

kindness ferucci orange sunrise

Of course, His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s observation is always worth remembering: “I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquillity comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life.

Loving Kindness Meditation

We opened 2018 with this meditation … which is appropriate at any time …. but even more so in these challenging times that seem prone to divisiveness …

loving kindness meditation

Cultivate Unity and Oneness

Piero Ferrucci – the author of the power of kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life –  has this observation and recommendation: “Strange perhaps, and paradoxical, but true: The most sensible way to further our own interests, to find our own freedom, and to glimpse our own happiness, is often not to pursue these goals directly, but to look after other people’s interests, to help other people be freer from fear and pain, to contribute to their happiness. Ultimately, it is all very simple. There is no choice between being kind to others and being kind to ourselves. It is the same thing.”

And, in the Preface of Piero’s same book, His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s makes a compelling case for kindness and compassion:

This is a book after my own heart. Piero Ferrucci has drawn on both his broad experience as a psychotherapist and what I think of as fundamental human values to write on the importance of kindness. What I particularly appreciate about his presentation is that he makes kindness the starting point, the fount from which flow so many other positive qualities, such as honesty, forgiveness, patience, and generosity. It is a compelling and encouraging approach.

I believe that if we stop to think, it is clear that our very survival, even today, depends upon the acts and kindness of so many people. Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents; later in life, when facing the sufferings of disease and old age, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. If at the beginning and end of our lives we depend upon others’ kindness, why then in the middle, when we have the opportunity, should we not act kindly toward others?

Kindness and compassion are among the principal things that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, and thus through affection, honesty, truth, and justice toward everyone else, we ensure our own benefit. This is a matter of common sense. Consideration for others is worthwhile because our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. Similarly, if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. On the other hand, the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill will, the more miserable we become. Therefore, we cannot avoid the necessity of kindness and compassion.

On a simple, practical level, kindness creates a sense of warmth and openness that allows us to communicate much more easily with other people. We discover that all human beings are just like us, so we are able to relate to them more easily. That generates a spirit of friendship in which there is less need to hide what we feel or what we are doing. As a result, feelings of fear, self-doubt, and insecurity are automatically dispelled, while at the same time other people find it easier to trust us, too. What is more, there is increasing evidence that cultivating positive mental states like kindness and compassion definitely leads to better psychological health and happiness.

It is tremendously important that we try to make something positive of our lives. We were not born for the purpose of causing trouble and harming others. For our life to be of value, as Piero Ferrucci amply demonstrates here—and I am grateful to him for expressing it so clearly—we need to foster and nurture such basic good human qualities as warmth, kindness, and compassion. If we can do that, our lives will become meaningful, happier, and more peaceful; we will make a positive contribution to the world around us.

~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama

—-

So, let us encourage each other to embrace and cultivate “union or oneness” that is ultimately our core  … as we – again – recall His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s words “… change in the world comes from individuals, from the inner peace in individual hearts. Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” …

— —- —

May you cultivate   kindness and compassion    in your daily rhythm and interactions with others … and …

May you remain safe and healthy as you navigate these troubling times.

The Opening two Dalai Lama quotes from  NY Times:Opinion Letters, April 17, 2021. and Compassion and the Individual, His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama.
Closing Quote re change: Dalai Lama website post.
All Piero Ferrucci quotes and the entire Dalai Lama’s Preface (under Cultivate Unity and Oneness) from The Power of Kindness by, Piero Ferrucci.
Images: (edited and logo added): Featured image: Natural landscape of Jasper, Alberta, Canada by jill@ghostbear.org, 1) Summer mountains landscape with lake in sunset by Jim_Filim, 2) – 5) from our past posts that are referenced just above these images, 6) Sequoias in California view from below by lunamarina. All purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
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