COMPASSION
BRIDGES THE GAP OF SEPARATION
AND SOOTHES OTHERS
TOO, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT “OTHERS” ULTIMATELY,
THEY ARE YOU;
THEY ARE PART OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS.
In the Buddhist canons these two, leading to Enlightenment, have been much stressed
upon. Compassion by itself is not awakened—it is blind—but the wisdom it invokes
begins to awaken you. In other words, it makes you more conscious and prepares
you for Enlightenment. There is no fighting the mind with compassion because
we are not trying to practice formulas without preparing our mind as a vessel
or fit instrument, to be peaceful enough, relaxed enough to awaken. The mind
is like a wild horse that you first have to tame. This is very possible provided
you know how to do that. Supposing you are a horse trainer and there are ways
you know to train, but you love the horse too. You have to have friendship with
the horse to get the best results. You have to pat it, you have to talk to him
or her, you have to arrange nice food and good grooming, and so on. When you
live with other beings, compassion is needed, not only for them—it certainly
soothes them too—but also it leaves you in peace. |
Therefore the Upanishadic saying, “Whatever you perceive is within you.” It
is a part of your Consciousness. But since you see others as separate, as different
entities, you create separation, which itself becomes the first tension. Having
produced that tension, now we say you can at least bridge the gap: be compassionate.
So you are gathering back your flock, as if, to the Oneness you originally had.
Compassion bridges the gap of separation and soothes others too, because
they are not “others” ultimately, they are you; they are part of your
Consciousness. You have lost that realization or wisdom. Who lost it? Mind? Yes, mind lost
it by its own creations. Mind is a gap that you have to bridge and at the same
time, mind is the instrument that takes you over that bridge. How to do that?
Make the mind compassionate. Even though you are still maintaining the illusion
of separation or duality, you are bridging that gap harmoniously by compassion.
That makes peace within yourself and with others. Then one-pointedness is natural.
When focus is applied to anything, it will happen, and therefore wisdom follows.
And when wisdom begins to follow, your consciousness begins to awaken, begins
to enlighten, and then you hanker after full Enlightenment rather than the piecemeal
wisdom of separate things. |