Compassion

Halfway through "The Wise Heart", by Jack Kornfield, I was inspired to create a sacred space to spend some time every day sitting still, practicing mindfulness and gratefulness or just focusing on breathing. For this space, I've collected a candle, this book, a blanket and some matches. It just so happens that on the wall in our spare room there is a beautiful Mexican picture of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" which completes this sacred space very well.

Recently I've spend some quiet time on cultivating compassion. Here is a nice practice as explained in "The Wise Heart".  As I sit quietly and breath softly I picture someone I care for in my mind and my heart. As I think of them and their life, I try to be aware of how my heart opens to them, how I seek to comfort them, share their pain and extend compassion. I repeat these phrases:

May you be held in compassion
May your pain and sorrow be eased
May you be at peace

After a time, I picture all my loved ones, one after the other and wish them well.

There are friends and family moving, traveling, fighting, overworked, worried, waiting for babies, bored, wondering, unfocused, wanting to quit, celebrating, unappreciated, unloving of themselves, sick, broke and I hold them in compassion.

I didn't want to see any more media coverage of the Tsunami in Japan. All the images broke my heart. There was so much sadness there I couldn't bare to think about it. So I hold them in compassion.

Then, I do the same for myself which is weird at first, but boy, does this ever have an impact on me.


May I be held in compassion
May my pain and sorrow be eased
May I be at peace

So on those days when I wish I could envelop myself in a soundproof bubble because baby is inconsolable, I remember to hold myself in compassion.

So on those days when I lose my patience because I just want to prepare dinner without having to take everything out of the cupboards to entertain Baby, I remember to hold myself in compassion.

So on those days when I blame, judge and feel bad about myself, I try really hard to remember to hold myself in compassion.