Finding Compassion

Opening Reflections:

The man who overcomes 

the fierce taste of craving,

suffering falls off from him like

water droplets from a lotus leaf.

- Buddhist, The Dhammapada- 24:36

There are only two kinds of people of whom

one may envy: a man to whom Allah

granted wealth and the power to use it all rightly [ie, charitably];

and a man to whom Allah granted wisdom

and who used it in judgment and taught it to others. 

- Islam, Qu'ran 2:215

I have conquered all things;

I know all things,

and I am freed from them all.

I have given up all,

and so I am freed from the 

destruction of craving.

- Buddhist, The Dhammapada- 24:353

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,

because they were harassed and helpless.

like sheep without a shepherd.

-Christian Bible, Matthew 9:36

Scripture Reading:

Enraptured with lust (greed), enraged with
hate, blinded by delusion, overwhelmed, with
mind ensnared, man aims at his own ruin,
at others' ruin, at the ruin of both, and he
experiences mental pain and grief.
He follows evil ways in deeds, words, and thoughts.
He really knows neither his own welfare, nor the
welfare of others, nor the welfare of both.
These things make him blind and ignorant,
hinder his knowledge, are painful,
and do not lead him to peace
- Buddhist, Anguttara Nikaya

Moment of Reflection: 

Scripture Reading:

Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,

For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.

Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion.

For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.

- Hindu, Tirukkural 25: 241-242

Moment of Reflection

Reflection

...empathy is important not only as a means of enhancing compassion,
but I think that generally speaking, when dealing with others 
on any level, if you're having some difficulties, it's extremely
helpful to put yourself in the other's place and see
how you would react to the situation.
Even if you have no common experience with the other person
or have a different lifestyle, you can try to do this
through imagination. You may need to be slightly creative.
This technique involves the capacity to temporarily suspend
insisting on your own viewpoint but rather to look  from
the other person's perspective, to imagine what would
be the situation if you were in his shoes, how you would deal with this.
This helps you deal with an awareness and respect for 
another's feelings, which is an important factor in reducing
conflicts and problems with other people.
- The Dalai Lama (Biddulph)

Memory Verse for Today:

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful,
to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some
difference that you have lived, and lived well.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Closing Prayer:

Lord God, Allah (Blessed be His Name), help us to

remember that others don't always see the way we do,

hear what we hear, feel what we feel, or understand the way we've

come to understand them. You give each of us gifts that

are uniquely ours but so often we fail to value the gift in another,

judging other gifts as wrong or somehow less important

than our own. Give us the compassion you want us to have,

O Father God, Allah, and teach us to embrace each other

with compassionate arms, no matter what our age, color, creed, history, 

or belief. Help us to remember that you are Life Itself, and that

you are using every one of our unique gifts to bring us together with

you once again. Amen,

Biddulph, Desmond and Flynn, Darcy. Teachings of the Buddha: The Wisdom of the Dharma, From the Pali Canon to the Sutras. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1988.

The Holy Bible(NIV). Colorado Springs, CO: The International Bible Society, 1984.

Dalai Lama and Cutler, Howard. The Art of Happiness. New York: The Penguin Group, 1998.

"Prayers for strength and comfort." Accessed November 14, 2012. http://www.prayer-and-prayers.info/prayers-for-strength/prayer-for-strength-and-calm.htm.