SPIRITUAL CORNER
In the age of utility, is it possible to be compassionate, and find happiness in the act of loving and sharing? Here is a piece by a great Tibetan Buddhist monk; it is likely to enchant the readers.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche
If there is no compassion in your heart, what you are left with is ego, the self-centered mind. That means your entire life is dedicated to your own happiness. But what about others? They also want to be happy. You are not the only one who needs happiness; others also need happiness. Therefore, when you are under the influence of ego, it is very easy to clash with others in your daily life. You can see how the self-centered mind causes problems, difficulty getting along with others, disharmony and so forth. The stronger your ego, the more problems in your life. Other people find it difficult to be with you. Even if you find a friend, sooner or later–as your ego generates attachment and that causes anger to arise–your ego and those other emotions will make your friend an enemy.
As long as you act out of ego, you harm others, because your ego is intent on achieving happiness for yourself at the expense of others. Because of ego, other discriminating thoughts, such as anger and jealousy, arise. They produce negative actions, which cause you to harm other sentient beings. As you go from life to life with ego and the other discriminating thoughts, you continually hurt others, and all sentient beings receive harm from the one person, you.
But if you generate compassion, all sentient beings receive peace and happiness from the same one person, you. If all sentient beings get angry at you and harm or even kill you, you are just one person. But if that one person, you, doesn’t practice compassion, the good heart, numberless other sentient beings are at risk of being harmed by you–there is the great risk that the one person, you, will harm numberless others. Therefore, whether other people practice compassion or not, first you should do so. Develop the good heart.
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