Centrality of Compassion in Human Life and Society

October 14, 2010 - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama speaks on the centrality of compassion in Maples Pavilion at Stanford University. He shares his thoughts on the necessity of friendship, altruism, family, selflessness, and religion, from the perspectives of such wide-ranging disciplines as education, social psychology and the neurosciences. 

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSL_xvokoF8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Emergence of Contemplative Neuroscience: Richard Davidson, Ph.D.

Can we reduce the pain by being kind to it?

Physical pain and mental pain are not the same. It is important to recognize these two as distinct entities. The physical pain of the body is received by the mind. A mind untrained will cling on to the pain with thoughts aversion and will add the second pain in addition to the physical pain. This is the mental pain or suffering. Now you have two pains instead of one.

Buddha explained this very nicely in the Sallatha Sutta. He compares the physical pain to the first arrow and the mental pain to a second arrow. The physical pain we all have to endure. However the mental pain we create due to our own ignorance and it is optional.

Here is a real life story a friend of mine sent me today;

"Some of you may think it is just belief, faith or mere stupidness on my part, nevertheless thought of sharing the most unthinkable experience I recently encountered with all. I had excruciating pain, a very sore and  sensitive stomach. I ended up at the emergency unit. Since the reports were clear, the doctor prescribed some medication and sent me home. During the early hours of the morning  my pain become even greater and I did not have any pain medication with me at the time, even though I had the been prescribed it earlier.

Since I attended the recent meditation retreat by Ajahn  Brahm, I remembered him relating a similar situation with him and how he handled it. Through desperation, I immediately started to focus on the location of the pain, welcome it unconditionally, radiate loving kindness to the pain, allowing the cells in the area to get well oxygenated and let it go. Once my mind was still I was able to focus on my breath.  I used this technique each time I got the pain. Believe it or not I gradually felt my muscles relaxing and the pain reducing too! Even though it took a long time,  I felt the pain reducing more and more until it fully disappeared!!

I sincerely thank Ajahn Brahm for relating the story and teaching the technique and commend Piyal and Indi for opening the door to all of us by bringing such a great teacher.

With great confidence I can recommend it to any novice to try it too ' cos I myself just learnt the correct art of meditation recently, taking baby steps at this point and yet it worked !!!

Best wishes and metta to all

Puri Jayasekera"

Also read/watch:

1.  The story of the two arrows: Physical pain is inevitable but the mental pain is optional

2. Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

The First and Second Dart , page 49  (Chapter 3) 

3. How to Be Sick: Toni Bernhard, J.D., is a former law professor at University of California at Davis. She is the author of How to Be Sick.

4. Mindfulness can reduce chronic pain :BBC

The theory that meditation can reduce stress, depression and even chronic pain is one that has been gaining in momentum in recent years.

So the BBC's David Sillito has been learning the art of mindfulness meditation in order to find out for himself.

After getting to grips with the activity, he joined some other devotees for an MRI scan to find out what impact the practice can have on brain activity.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16406814

Self-Compassion A Healthier Way of Relating to Yourself

http://www.self-compassion.org/

Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at the Stanford University School of Medicine

A  Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education has been launched at the Stanford University School of Medicine, with the aim of doing scientific research on the neural underpinnings of these thoughts and feelings.

Children are like soft clay...

Children are like soft clay when you are doing pottery. You can mold the pot into any shape or form you want when the the clay is soft and wet. You have to apply sustain pressure over time and you can shape the pot the way you want. Once the clay is hard or baked in an oven, it is almost impossible to change its shape. So it is important to teach children how to practice self loving-kindness, compassion and gratitude towards them from a very early age.

It is a sad day for all of us. What do we do now?

Source:http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/17/us/newtown-memorials-across-country/index.html

In the wake of Sandy Hook school gun shooting there is so much debate about gun control in the media. More stringent gun control is always a good start. However gun control is just like putting a band aid on a wound.  Unless we address the root cause of violence we are going to see these acts of senseless violence again and again. This time the weapon is a gun. Next time may be it will be a knife or may be even a bomb. Who knows? 


Here is what we have to ask ourselves. What is the origin of violence? All violence stems from greed, hatred and delusion. The three poisons of this world. We need to instill loving-kindness, compassion and gratitude in our children from the start. This should be taught as a compulsory subject to all children regardless of their cultural, religious or social beliefs. It's never too late. 

It is said that this moment is the most important moment. The most important person is the one in front of you. The most important thing to is to care. If this is true, care for yourself first. Look in the mirror for a moment. You are the one in front of you all the time, even when you are alone. Love yourself first. Appreciate yourself first. Value your own human life. Stop expecting too much from you. Say this is good enough. I am happy to be here. I am kind to myself. I am not looking for anything more. By doing this everyday you begin to value your own human life. You will begin to value other human lives too. You will begin to care for others. You will begin to love others. You will begin to appreciate others. You expect less from others. What is done by others is good enough. Life is a precious gift. Do not just throw it away. Please don't harm yourself. And please please never harm anyone else.