In response to An Experiment Worth Trying (May 28), a reader–Cecile–left this reply. When I visit other bloggers’ sites, I sometimes don’t read all the comments after a post, and I have a feeling I’m not alone. I didn’t want this one to be missed:
Someone – a CS – sent this to me in a group email years ago. In the late 90’s, the Dalai Lama shared a practice (below) with a group of visitors that he said will increase loving and compassion in the world. Lately I’ve been practicing it more consistently with strangers — shop clerks, airline co-passengers, medical receptionists, etc. The benefits are immediate and profound. My own experience tells me that this practice helps lift depression.
THE DALAI LAMA’S PRACTICE OF COMPASSION
1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same thing (to be happy and loved) and we are all connected.
2. Spend 5 minutes cherishing yourself and others. Let go of judgments. Breathe in cherishing yourself, and breathe out cherishing others. If the faces of the people you are having difficulty with appear, cherish them as well.
3. During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet – we are all the same, and I cherish myself and you (do it with the grocery store clerk, the client, your family, coworkers, etc.].
4. Stay in the practice, no matter what happens.
December 24th, 2009 at 12:23 am
This is so true. Of course it doesn’t come easy, but being honestly nice to our cs definitely benefits our own lives and this Energy propagates.