Lately the power of compassion to be a guiding light has been on my mind. Ram Dass writes in his latest book Be Love Now, that the first time he met his teacher in India, he felt totally loved. His teacher’s compassion flowed through Ram Dass and this flow was so encompassing that his whole life changed from that moment on.
Compassion is a form of love that involves understanding and empathy for the challenges of self and others. Compassion and love are two of the guiding forces of most of the great spiritual traditions. When we feel love and compassion we are at our best as human beings.
Compassion is a powerful force because it calls on us: to expand enough to let the world in; to feel enough to have empathy for others; to care enough to be supportive of our own struggles; to be kind enough to make a difference for those in need; and to love enough to fill the hearts of all beings.
If we let compassion guide us then we always know what we need to do, who we need to reach out to, where we can make a difference, and what gives our life meaning. Let’s imagine a world in which compassion guided us all:
This world would put the well-being of all of life as the top priority
This world would bring peace by putting an end to all wars because we would have no enemies
This world would take care of those in need by providing homes, healthcare, food and resources
This world would provide more treatment and less jail space
This world would be filled with kindness and caring for each other
This world would bring great love, joy and hope to all of us
This world would teach us all about the importance of having compassion for each other
This world would be filled with the light of compassionate action for the good of all
This world would be free of greed and the need for power and control because all hearts would be nurtured
This world would be filled with the wisdom of the heart
This world would understand being in the present moment where all great things are possible
This world would have compassionate governments and leaders
This world would have one religion of loving-kindness
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." Dalai Lama
Video about compassion by the Dalai Lama