THURSDAY: COMPASSION FOR YOUR “ENEMIES”

“Compassion compels us to reach out to all living beings, including our so-called enemies, those people who upset or hurt us. Irrespective of what they do to you, if you remember that all beings like you are only trying to be happy, you will find it much easier to develop compassion towards them. The true aim of cultivation of compassion is to develop the courage to think of others and to do something for them.”

From “The Wisdom Teachings of the Dalai Lama” by Matthew E. Bunson (1997); Used by permission of Dutton, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The above quote from the Dalai Lama pretty much says it all. Can you find the courage in your heart to think of others and do something today to help your “enemy?”

The concept of enemy is pretty foreign to me because unless we are at war, our day-to-day life is not usually full of enemies. However, we often have people who have hurt us, who annoy us, humiliate us, frighten us, shout at us, belittle us, are unkind to us, offend us, or cause us difficulty, frustration, disappointment and pain or are simply “mean” to us!

These are the “enemies” that we need to have the courage to forgive, to focus on, and to see if we can help in some way. If we can’t love them, then at least we can hold them in our hearts for some time, so our hearts can work miracles together, and try to think kindly of them. This takes courage and “will forces”—a conscious act of will to do something that does not feel “natural.” If you practice, it will soon feel natural – and great!

If the concept of actually helping these so-called enemies is too much of a first step for you, then maybe you can think of this person or people in a way that is neutral rather than negative. From neutral, you can move to thinking something kind about them or good about them—do they look good in blue? Then you can try understanding how unhappy they may be to behave the way they do, or how difficult life must be for them. Move to feeling for them in your heart, and from there you will be closer to compassion!

This may take a little longer than one day—but start today! You’ll be surprised at who benefits the most.

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