6 Compassion Techniques This is a generative practice.
By generative I mean cultivation of a quality or feeling.
In this practice we will use intentions and visualizations to cultivate the quality of perception.
We can begin with this intention suggested by the Dalai Lama.
Technique 1 Today I am fortunate to have woken up.
I am alive.
I have a precious human life.
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself,
To expand my heart out to others,
To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others.
I am not going to think badly about others.
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
Second technique,
Commonalities Practice Bring to your awareness the image of a loved one,
Friend,
Stranger,
Or adversary and recognize just like me this person is seeking happiness in his or her life.
Just like me this person is trying to avoid suffering in his or her life.
Just like me this person has known sadness,
Loneliness,
And despair.
Just like me this person is seeking to fulfill his or her needs.
Just like me this person is learning about life.
Third technique,
Relief of Suffering Practice Imagine the suffering of a human being you've met recently.
Now imagine that you are the one going through their suffering.
Reflect on how much you would like that suffering to end.
Reflect on how happy you would be if another human being desired your suffering to end and acted upon it.
Open your heart to that human being and if you feel even a little that you want their suffering to end,
Reflect on that feeling.
That's the feeling that you want to develop.
With constant practice,
Visualization,
That feeling can be grown and nurtured.
Fourth technique,
Act of Kindness Practice Imagine again the suffering of someone you know or met recently.
Imagine again that you are that person and are going through that suffering.
Now imagine that another human being would like your suffering to end.
What would you like for that person to do to end your suffering?
Now reverse roles.
You are the person who desires for the other person's suffering to end.
Imagine that you do something to help ease the suffering or end it completely.
You commit to practice doing something small each day to help end the suffering of others,
Even in a tiny way.
A smile,
A kind word,
Doing an errand or chore,
Listening deeply without trying to fix or offer advice.
Practice doing something kind to help ease the suffering of others.
When you are good at this,
Find a way to make it a daily practice and eventually something you do throughout the day,
Something you embody.
Fifth technique,
Those Who Mistreat Us Practice Think about someone who mistreated you.
Try to imagine the background of that person.
Try to imagine what that person experienced as a child.
Try to imagine what kinds of bad things had happened to that person.
Try to imagine the mood and state of mind that person was in,
The suffering that person must have been going through,
To mistreat you the way they did.
And understand that their action was not about you,
But about what they were going through.
They were expressing from that darkness,
From their ignorance,
From their suffering.
Now think some more about the suffering of that poor person and see if you can imagine trying to stop the suffering of that person.
And then reflect that if you mistreated someone and they acted with kindness and compassion toward you,
Whether that would make you less likely to mistreat that person the next time and more likely to be kind to that person.
Sixth technique,
Evening Routine Think about the people you met and talked to and how you treated each other today.
Think about the intention we set at the beginning of this practice to act with compassion toward others.
How well did you do?
What could you do better?
What did you learn from your experiences today?
These practices promote prosocial behaviors and qualities of empathy and compassion.
Compassion is the desire to relieve someone of their suffering.
Distinct patterns of brain activation are seen in practitioners who practice the kind of compassion-focused imagery presented here.
Improved emotional processing,
A lessening of interpersonal conflict,
Social anxiety and depression,
Increases in global self-esteem and satisfaction with life,
As well as a reduction in worry,
Rumination and loneliness are some additional benefits of these practices.
These practices not only help you,
But others who are suffering.
Those who interact regularly with supportive people show diminished cortisol reactivity to social stressors,
As well as a diminished activity in those parts of the brain associated with distress and separation.
Your compassion and support may ultimately benefit the health of those you care about most.
I wish you peace,
Connection,
Happiness,
And a heart full of love and compassion.
