Igniting Compassion

Center and tap into your innate compassion and passion for justice. "Igniting Compassion" begins with a short centering exercise, guiding you into your breath, your body, and then resting awareness in your heart-center. From there, I offer questions intended to help you tap into compassion, your sense of justice, and your resolve to engage in compassionate social action. If you enjoy this, it is the first meditation as part of a free, three-part online course.

Transcript

To get in touch with your innate compassion and passion for justice,

We'll begin by entering into a centering contemplative practice.

Begin by making yourself comfortable,

Sitting on a chair or a cushion,

Or lying down on your back if you prefer.

Wherever you decide,

Bring some awareness to your body and your posture.

Centering is facilitated by sitting in a manner that is comfortable,

And in which your head,

Back,

Spine,

And back are aligned without straining upward nor slouching forward.

Sit or lie with equal weight on both sides of the body,

Allowing yourself to feel supported by the chair,

The cushion,

The mat,

Or the floor beneath you.

Feel yourself connecting and grounding down through your sit bones and your feet sitting flat on the floor.

Next I invite you to take three slow,

Deep breaths.

Allow each breath to release on the exhale fully,

So that your body is naturally compelled to take that next breath in,

And that you let go of any tension that you're bringing into your practice today.

Next I invite you simply to practice following your breath,

Following the rise and fall of your abdomen,

Like the in and out of the waves of the sea,

And allowing the distractions and anxieties of your day to settle,

Like mud or dirt sinking to the bottom of a still pool,

And as it settles,

Revealing a clear,

Liquid awareness.

As you continue to follow your path,

To become centered or to drop into your practice,

Allow your awareness to drop from your head down into your body,

Even all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes.

Eventually allow your awareness to come to dwell in your heart center,

A soft,

Warm,

Light,

Open space just behind and below your breastbone.

Find a few moments cultivating and opening into this heart-centered awareness,

This innate From this centered space,

I'm going to guide you through a series of questions intended to help you get in touch with your natural passion for justice and compassionate social action.

I invite you to experiment with how to engage in this exercise,

Either with your eyes open and pausing to reflect and journal,

Or with eyes closed,

Allowing the questions to flow and possibly returning to the journaling later to record the lingering thoughts and sensations from this practice.

First,

What current events or social issues typically grab your attention?

As you notice thoughts arising,

Simply allow them to arise and to be.

There is no need to reject any thought nor to attach to any thought.

For now,

Just note which issues typically arise for you,

Staying centered without any need to do anything about them in this moment.

Second,

Are there any aspects of your personal identity that frame your views on particular justice issues?

Again,

Are there aspects of your personal identity?

These might include family background,

Sex or gender,

Sexual orientation,

Ethnic,

Social,

Economic background,

Spiritual or religious background,

Or lack thereof.

Any aspects of your personal identity that tend to frame your views on justice issues?

Second,

As you pay attention to issues in the world around you,

What makes you angry?

As you note,

Issues or situations or stories that cause anger to arise within you might have to bring a little extra attention to remaining centered,

Focused on the breath,

On that heart-centered awareness.

It's important to note that anger is a natural reaction to the violation of a boundary.

Those boundaries that might include our sense of fairness or justice,

Our commitment to the common good,

To human rights,

To the sovereignty and sanctity of the law.

Most wisely,

Anger draws our attention to a basic good that is being violated.

So as you note your anger,

Can you name the basic good that is being violated by the injustices that cause this anger to arise in you?

This next question asks you to reflect on any personal relationships,

Encounters or experiences that have framed your views on particular issues.

So are there any personal relationships,

Encounters or experiences,

Stories,

Narratives that you have experienced,

Friends have experienced,

Family or loved ones have experienced that frame your views on particular issues related to justice?

Next,

Ask yourself,

How would your family and friends experience your anger?

How would your closest friends or family members or loved ones describe your passions and interests related to compassionate action or social justice?

Are there any social issues that arise consistently or frequently during your contemplative practice,

Whatever that practice might be?

A hint here is that these might include consistent thoughts that might feel like intrusions during times of formal practice.

But I give you permission to give those thoughts a little attention right now.

This final question asks you to tune back into your body and pause to note,

What does it feel like physically in your body,

In your bones to reflect on these questions?

What does it feel like in your body to reflect on these questions?

What sensations do you notice?

Where do you notice them?

Again,

There is no need to do anything with what you notice,

But simply to bring that light of mindful awareness to your experience as you reflect on your own passion for justice.

And as you allow this entire process to sink in,

Spend a few moments bringing your awareness back to your breath,

Into that heart-centered awareness.

Allow your awareness to expand outward,

Noting any sounds or sensations in the room around you.

Taking your time and when you are ready,

Begin to bring some movement to your fingers and toes,

Perhaps moving your head side to side and stretching your neck,

Opening your eyes if they have been closed when you are ready.

Reviews

Namaste. 🌸🌺

This is a gently yet clearly guided invitation to reflect on the issues that really matter to us, to identify/discover the roots of our social justice values, then to direct our emotions and energies purposefully. Thomas’ voice is rich and resonant, conveying trust, safety, and compassion. I felt grounded, seen, and inspired. Highly recommended.

Great exercise that cpuld be used in schools or universities, thanks

Very useful and simple guidance, especially the focus on questions to guide/probe our own personal interests in social justice and engagement, and encourage connection.

Tom, I've listened to several of your prayers, 11th step course, and interviews. Thank you for putting your work forward! I continually connect, learn and grow when I listen to your work!

Fully supporting your attempt to experiment with integrative approaches as you have an “idea/ideal” in the background to be able to give a healing hand to today’s social, political etc injustices....I appreciate your approach! I’ll use this method in my women circles! Thank you 🙏🏼

Prompted me to think about why I truly feel so angry/passionate about the internal terrorism created by the pharmaceutical/chemical industry poisoning us thru excessive pesticide used on our foods- depriving me and the country of their basic right to life, liberty and persuit if happiness because we must battle for our health since all Americans need to eat. Bayer (Monsanto), follows it's roots and is attempting mass genocide just like Hitler, except on Americans, via Agent Orange, Round up, Ranger, Opiates... The evil they do"disguised as good" far outweigh the good when one can no longer perform a basic need for human survival: to eat and Nourish the Temple that the Creator made, with OUT poisoning and damage to the primary fundamental barrier to the outside world- the intestinal wall... And creating dysbiosis, disease, cancer etc. I see this daily in my patients and it is brutal to watch esp after they try so hard to reform their diet etc and live as healthy as possible. It's heart breaking.

This process was useful in allowing me to move from anger & frustration about some injustices to a place of compassion not just for the victims but also perpetrators (not condoning the behaviour) however for their ignorance. I can see that the world needs me to be Love & to carry that in my whole being, as anger will add fuel to the disfunction.

With a grateful heart...

Awesome self awareness for me to understand my feelings when it comes to this segment of meditation. I will listen to this again. This is one of my new favorites...

Namaste 🕉 💜 💚 💙 💛

That was an interesting perspective. Thank you!

Incredibly timely! Earlier and meditation this morning I was in tears about injustice in the USA currently: The vulnerable, children, immigrants, and a coarse inflammatory way of speaking. I’m now further to prayerfully with compassion act
Thanks💚

A great reflection on an issue, that doesn't seem to be connected with spirituality on the first sight.