Few people would probably deny the truth of St. Paul’s humbling reminder: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.” Yet it remains a difficult piece of advice to follow, a perplexing challenge—and more so today in an alienated society. In these two sessions, we will explore on a very personal level the journey of compassion: kind awareness and action toward suffering, both in others and in ourselves.We begin in the first session with self-compassion. This aspect of self-care is too often confused in society with self-pity or laziness. We will examine the relevance of age-old Buddhist teachings and modern psychological research in learning how to treat ourselves in a friendly way, and see its linkage in sustaining our energy in caring for others. Several meditative exercises to foster self-compassion will be demonstrated.
In the second session, we explore compassion for others, learning how it is not a forced, but an inherent disposition in all of us—but too often blocked by social and personal barriers like competition, guilt, social isolation, and self-focus. Can we actually grow in compassion and learn sincere kindness toward people who seem undeserving, unpleasant, or inimical to us?
In both sessions, we will devote ample time to personal discussion and the experiences of participants. We can all learn from each other about these crucial spiritual topics.
A limited number of copies of the recommended book for the series, The Compassionate Life, by the Dalai Lama, will be available for purchase at St. Benedict’s, at a discount price of $8.
This two session class (March 8 and 15) will be led by Joe Morris and Caro Hall+