Worry is an addiction
That interferes with compassion.
Worry is a problem that seems to be rampant. Perhaps it is due to the nature of our overly advanced civilization; perhaps it is a measure of our own spiritual degeneracy. Whatever the source, it is clear that worry is not useful. It is a cancer of the emotions — concern gone compulsive. It eats away at body and mind.
It does no good to say, “Don’t think about it.” You’ll only worry more. It is far better to keep walking your path, changing what you can. The rest must be dissolved in compassion. In this world of infants with immune deficiencies, racial injustice, economic imbalance, personal violence, and international conflict, it is impossible to address everyone’s concerns. Taking care of yourself and doing something good for those whom you meet is enough. That is compassion, and we must exercise it even in the face of the overwhelming odds.
Whenever you meet a problem, help if it is in your power to do so. After you have acted, withdraw and be unconcerned about it. Walk on without ever mentioning it to anybody. Then there is no worry, because there has been action.
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Once you've seen the face of God,
You see that same face on everyone you meet.
The true god has no face. The true Tao has no name. But we cannot identify with that until we are of a very high level of insight. Until then, the gods with faces and the Tao with names are still more worthy of veneration and study than the illusions of the world.
With long and sincere training, it is possible to see the face of god. Holiness is not about scientific objectivity. It is about a deep and clear recognition of the true nature of life. Your attitude toward your god will be different than anyone else’s god — divinity is a reflection of your own understanding. If you experience differs from others, that does not invalidate your sense of godliness. You will have no doubts after you have seen.
Knowing god is the source of compassion in our lives. We realize that our separation from others is artificial. We are neither separate from other people nor from Tao. It is only our own egotism that leads us to define ourselves as individuals. In fact, a direct experience of god is a direct experience of the utter universality of life. If we allow it to change our way of thinking, we will understand our essential oneness with all things.
How does god look? Once you see god, you will see that same face on every person you meet.
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Actions motivated by attachment, aversion, or ignorance, regardless of any external appearances, are simply not Buddhist practices.-Lorne Ladner, "Wheel Of Great Compassion"
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COMPASSION
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because sometime in your life you will have been all of these.”
~ George Washington Carver
This Twelve Step program works wonders on many levels. But one of the most noticible changes I’ve seen in my life has been in the area of compassion.
Eating disorders can really mess a person up. All of us who have the disease of compulsive eating, in no matter what form, have been laughed at, discriminated against, or generally overlooked by those who don’t suffer from our disease. So, one would think that compulsive eaters would be more loving and understanding to their fellows. For the most part this is true. But I have seen compulsive eaters be just as cruel as our more normal-weight counterparts.
If we can mistreat each other, how can we ever expect others to treat us differently? We need to remember where we were in our disease, for there are others in that same situation. We need to see ourselves in the newcomers to our program, because we run the risk of returning to where they are now. “There but for the grace of God go I” takes on a whole new meaning when we apply that phrase to our situation.
Sometimes we see varying degrees of success in this program of recovery. We must each work our program, and allow our fellows to work their program. It’s not up to us to take someone else’s inventory concerning the success or failure of their program. We need only to keep our own side of the street clean, and to show compassion to those of our fellows who are struggling. After all, compassion was what prompted the founding of our fellowship in the first place.
One day at a time…
I will consciously practice compassion toward those who still suffer, because I remember where I came from on this path, and realize I could return there.
~ JAR
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There are some who wish to perfect themselves and who train themselves in this way: "One single self we shall tame, one single self we shall pacify, one single self we shall lead to final nirvana." But those with compassion should not train themselves in such a way. On the contrary, they should say this: "My own self I will place into Suchness, and so that all the world may be helped, I will place all beings into Suchness, and I will lead to nirvana the whole immeasurable world of beings."
-Diamond Sutra
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If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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I have just three things to teach:
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
You return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
You accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
You reconcile all beings in the world.
– Lao Tzu
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Today, I will remember with humility and extend compassion, understanding and empathy to the recovering co-addict whose current circumstances might once have been mine. If someone confides that he is faced with something or a set of circumstances that put him in a place of uncertainty, fear, helplessness, hopelessness and desperation, I will remember that I, too, was once in the same dark place and I needed more than well-intended but superficial assurances. Instead, I will remember that I entrusted all with unconditional faith to my Higher Power and, while clinging onto sobriety even an hour at a time, He saw me through. Today, I will not minimize the fears and uncertainties of another person who might be venturing into unknown waters and, instead, will respect them with unconditional love and support. He may be my most important 12th Step. And our common journey continues.
Step by step. – Chris M., 2014
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COMPASSION
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because sometime in your life you will have been all of these.”
~ George Washington Carver
This Twelve Step program works wonders on many levels. But one of the most noticible changes I’ve seen in my life has been in the area of compassion.
Eating disorders can really mess a person up. All of us who have the disease of compulsive eating, in no matter what form, have been laughed at, discriminated against, or generally overlooked by those who don’t suffer from our disease. So, one would think that compulsive eaters would be more loving and understanding to their fellows. For the most part this is true. But I have seen compulsive eaters be just as cruel as our more normal-weight counterparts.
If we can mistreat each other, how can we ever expect others to treat us differently? We need to remember where we were in our disease, for there are others in that same situation. We need to see ourselves in the newcomers to our program, because we run the risk of returning to where they are now. “There but for the grace of God go I” takes on a whole new meaning when we apply that phrase to our situation.
Sometimes we see varying degrees of success in this program of recovery. We must each work our program, and allow our fellows to work their program. It’s not up to us to take someone else’s inventory concerning the success or failure of their program. We need only to keep our own side of the street clean, and to show compassion to those of our fellows who are struggling. After all, compassion was what prompted the founding of our fellowship in the first place.
One day at a time…
I will consciously practice compassion toward those who still suffer, because I remember where I came from on this path, and realize I could return there.
~ JAR
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FEELING OVERWHELMEDThe social workers have named a new syndrome.It’s called “compassion fatigue.”Why does it sound so familiar?
~ Anne Wilson Schaef For most of my life I have always cared for others, and have always been in the caring professions. I didn't think that was a bad thing until I was brought to my knees and arrived at my first program meeting. One of the character defects that I found I had was people pleasing. Because I was always trying to help and fix others, I also knew that I had a problem with control and lack of acceptance.One of the things I am learning in the program is that, because for so many years I had hidden my emotions in food, there are still many layers of the onion that I haven’t even begun to peel away. The amazing thing is that it is only when I reach a rock bottom of some sort that I am forced to look deeper at many issues that I have blocked for years. What I realize now is that I have spent so many years of my life taking care of others that I have forgotten to take care of me. No wonder I feel so overwhelmed!I’m a compulsive caregiver, but in doing that, I have often neglected to see to my own needs. I am so grateful that I have become open to looking further into why I have always put others’ needs before mine, and to being able to detach with love from many issues over which I am powerless, so that I can take better care of me.One Day at a Time . . .I will remember that in order to be able to care for and love others, I must first learn to care for and love myself.~ Sharon S.
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