The Compassion Institute

09/20/2019

September Reflections on Compassion.

Day 1

September is a beautiful month. For me it is a month of transition from the scorching heat of August to the pleasant cooler days of October. The Autumn is my favorite season. In my mind it represents the subduing of summer’s glory and the bridge between death and new life. It is the last burst of color before we enter the quiet solitude of winter and the gestation period for the eventual emergence of spring and new life. This year, Autumn will be my time to reflect on the very essence of life. For me it has always been compassion. For my reflections, I will focus on childhood and those elements of childhood innocence that brought compassion into my heart.

This morning the thought of “comfort” rings true. As a child, comfort brought safety and security. I was comforted when I knew that someone was there for me. Most often it was my Mom. My parents usually took me everywhere. I rarely if ever had a babysitter. As a result, I vividly remember resting comfortably in my parents arms as I gently fell to sleep and felt totally safe and secure. That space was the space where I could go and be surrounded by warm and abiding love.

As we think about “comfort” today, let’s contemplate what brings comfort into our hearts and soul. And contemplate how we might transmit that comfort through compassion to bring comfort to others. In my immediate life, there are our children and grandchildren who occasionally face the pain of everyday living at school or in their jobs. In San Francisco, there are so many times that I see people living on the street who appear to be suffering greatly. This morning we saw a body lying in the doorway of shop. There were asleep and lying on the concrete, loosely covered by a cardboard box, exposed to the elements.

My compassion seeks to bring comfort. How does your compassion relate to comfort? Is there a relationship for you?

09/09/2018

Look into my eyes. What do you see? Really look into my eyes. Do you see how much I love you? Do you see how much I care? Do you know that I understand you? Do you know that I want to feel your suffering? Do you know that I want to carry that suffering in my heart?

Sharing the pain with others is the gift of compassion. If you can experience the power of kindness and connectedness, you have taken the first step of understanding the power of compassion. It flows from the center of our being. It begins in the heart but requires a response from the “gut” – from the very center of our being. When you see suffering and you feel it in your heart, your connection to the person in pain is through your very center. You know that you must respond and you respond with compassion. Compassion is like tears of healing that flow from the heavens above. The tears wash away the suffering. The tears soothe the pains and sorrows of all beings. Our calling is to wash the world in these tears of compassion.

09/03/2018

The moments of compassion are never convenient or well planned. An illness almost never strikes at a planned moment in time. It may be the “inconvenience” of wretched times that enable us grow in our compassion for others. All of us can think of those moments, when we are about to leave for a weekend or a week’s vacation, when you are called to help someone in need. It leaves us wrenching with conflicted feelings and necessity of making a choice. While we would like to walk away, we know deep within our hearts, that to walk away, would only lead to despair. So we stay. And we struggle with our feelings of resentment and burdened with the guilt that has driven us to even consider an alternative strategy. To be compassionate invites us to let all of these feelings fall away, because compassion starts with ourselves. When we feel guilt and shame, it is at that very moment when we can open the door of being compassionate with ourselves. When we seize the moment, we are able to meet the suffering of others with kindness and compassion. It is the feeling of joy when we realize that our compassion may have changed the life of another person because we took the time to be present with them. And with the next inopportune moment of suffering, we will not hesitate to reach out our hands. Dr. Stephen Pickard

08/31/2018

I do not understand the suffering of the world. I do not understand why it exists. I only understand that it DOES exist. We are all called to be with suffering. We need to be with the suffering because there is no escape. Delusion only leads to more suffering with no hopeful end in sight. The inescapable beauty of compassion is that it meets suffering head on. It is the remedy, and the miracle of it all, is that each of us have the capacity to administer the remedy. When we face suffering we can choose to flinch, flee, or be with it. When we choose to be with it, we choose a sacred response. We sit with the suffering and we administer compassion. The practice of being present will never mean more than when you are present for someone else’s suffering. Whether it is a dying person, or an abused child, or a neglected elder, or an abandoned pet, the opportunities are all the same. The door is opened; we can either walk in with compassion or we can flinch and flee with fear and indifference. Compassion is letting go of the fear of what lies beyond. It is embracing the “not knowing” when we are faced with pain of others. It helps to know that when we choose this path, we are not alone. Many of us care. Many of us love. Many of us embrace the compassionate life. Dr. Stephen Pickard.

08/31/2018

Let compassion enter your life like a little child who sits in awe of a rosebud as it unfolds in the warmth of the sunlight. Open the door of your heart a tiny bit, and let compassion slowly and completely embrace your heart and soul. Feel its warmth. Feel its connection to the whole. Listen to its desire and follow its advice to sit and be present to the suffering. All beings suffer. When we soften our hearts and open the door to our souls, heaven opens a never ending flow of compassion which flows like a crystal clear river bringing joy and happiness to those darkest moments of suffering. When we see suffering in the world and turn away with indifference, we cheat ourselves of a life fulfilled. The beggar on the street; the bullied child; the alcoholic; the drug addict; the neglected spouse-we are given amazing opportunities to be with the suffering and never turn away. Gaze into my eyes-every one of you-I am here for you. I am present. I feel your pain in my heart. Compassion is my friend and always by my side, just as my compassion is your friend and I am here by your side. Let us not miss the opportunity when it suddenly appears in life. Let us open our tender hearts. Let us nourish our souls. And let compassion thrive and abound with joy and happiness. Dr. Stephen Pickard.

08/30/2018

Tears

There are moments In time that the heart cannot adequately express itself in words. So the heart choses tears. Tears of joy. Tears of happiness. Tears of love. Tears of compassion. Tears flow because the heart knows that tears bring us to the very center of who we are. It takes very little to let the tears flow….just a moment…..a thought…..an embrace…..but always love. Unconditional love. Let your hearts open wide to this unconditional love. You can find it everywhere. Dr. Stephen Pickard

08/12/2018

04/18/2017

Now more than ever we need compassion in the United States of America. We have become a nation of Hatred.

09/16/2015

Kindfulness: Where Wisdom and Compassion Meet http://conta.cc/1LeQMbW

08/08/2015

Attend Connect and Sustain-A Daylong Retreat for the LGBTQI/Queer Community with http://conta.cc/1J07FI3