What if there was one thing that could change everything for the better – one thing that could call things such as happiness or perfection into existence like a magical wand? What could it be – and where could one get it?
As a child I often pondered these questions and indeed I thought that a magical wand with unlimited possibilities would be that one thing – and only God would have it in His possession. I made a firm vow that if I ever met God – I would ask Him to give me that miraculous instrument – if only for a short time, and then I could make life perfect.
Well, believe it or not, there is such a thing – and it is already within your heart: it’s compassion, waiting for you to discover it.
Someone who discovers compassion will see how all his or her relationships turn into positive relationships, and how he or she then enters a flow of universal maintenance. One is then freed from all anxieties
The following story illustrates how showing compassion will greatly benefit your life:
Once a man approached a saint with a long list of complaints: “I have no money, everyone hates me, my health is poor, my children left me…” The list had no end.
Finally, the saint stopped him and said, “Have you already taken care of a suffering person today? If you take care of others, God will take care of you.”
It sounded too simple and the man stormed away in protest. – But, it really works: God always takes care of those who take care of others.
In order to care for of others’ wellbeing it helps to remember our equality: We are all members of the ONE family. The same God resides in all our hearts. We can experience great bliss when we break the walls separating us. Once they are removed, we become free from anxiety
My spiritual master once taught us: Different living beings take on different bodies and clothes, but a learned person sees all as equals. The Supreme Lord greatly appreciates the compassionate dealings following this perspective. Shrila Prabhupada quoted a verse: “The Lord is very satisfied when His devotees greet other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.11.13)
What, then, does it take to develop compassion?
The answer is simple: empathy – a quality by which we can deeply enter the perception of others, feel their feelings as if they were our own and try to benefit them.
You might think: “Impossible for a normal human being!” but listen to the following story.
It is evening time on a battlefield in the Flemish region, on December 24th, 1914. The First World War has been raging since five weeks. The war trenches are only 30 to 50 meters apart from each other. The enemy troupes are in a fearful shock: The weather is terrible, everywhere freezing cold mud and rain water. The air is filled with the stench of dead bodies rotting away since the soldiers can’t recover them so close to the enemies. Rats are running about in increasing numbers. The men have no sleeping facilities and try to rest while standing in the trenches. It is crazy, inhuman, and totally intolerable. And, as some say: the Germans started it all.
Suddenly, something unexpected happens:
The German lines light candles on thousands of Christmas trees which had been sent from home, and start singing Christmas songs. At first all the other soldiers thought it was just another devilish stratagem – a war trick. But then, equally unexpectedly, empathy and compassion set in. Everyone understood – the German soldiers were just as afraid as everyone else. What happened next was pure magic: All soldiers – British, French, Dutch, etc., got up in a roaring applause. They put their weapons aside, ran across the battlefield and started embracing each other. The historic estimation is that 100,000 soldiers stood peacefully on the war-field that night, shaking hands, sharing family photos, exchanging gifts like cookies, and talking about the absurdity of war. Even the officers!
The scene came to an abrupt end when the generals in their back quarters heard about the miracle of empathy and compassion. But that’s another story… which took the life of eight and a half million people.
The point is:
Once empathy and compassion – two natural qualities of everyone – are discovered and put into action, miracles happen.
Thus, the great saint Bhaktivinoda Thakur asks: Oh, when will compassion for all souls awaken in me?
The Thakur gives three practical steps how to become compassionate in his commentary to the Bhagavad-gita, the great spiritual classic which was enigmatically revealed on a battlefield 5000 years ago.
A person who wants to be compassionate must:
1) First become aware that we are all equal on the level of the soul.
2) Understand that every one of us suffers and enjoys in the same way.
3) Make a firm resolution to do something for the upliftment of others.
I must admit that I do encounter situations and persons in my life which or who make it difficult for me to act upon what I am sharing here with you. Some things and people seem to bring out the worst in me. They drive me mad! But there is a simple solution.
At times when compassion and empathy are difficult to access I have made good experiences with the “emotional traffic light.”
First comes red: stop, pause for a moment.
Next comes yellow: assess the situation from a spiritual point of view: We are all eternal souls, dressed in various bodies and mind-sets, but essentially, or spiritually, we are all parts of Krishna. Think: I have not come to this world to reform others. (This is best done by Krishna.) I have come to reform myself.
Finally comes green: act upon the new insight while keeping an inner distance to the happenings and staying on the spiritual level.
It really helps to see Krishna in every situation of life:
yo mam pashyati sarvatra
sarvam ca mayi pashyati
tasyaham na pranashyami
sa ca me na pranashyati
“For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” (Bhagavad-gita, 6.30)
It is a well-known fact that at the moment our planet is in a fragile situation. How the future will unfold is totally dependent on how much people will distance themselves from an exploitative mood and develop an empathic and compassionate mind-set.
Compassion can be accessed, it’s already present in your heart. However, you may need to sharpen it by practice.
I suggest that each of you, my dear readers, practices compassion on your own. Act in a compassionate way towards at least one or two persons every day. A specific person might come to your mind, or you can simply act compassionately in your immediate environment. Usually it helps to start with empathy – leave your viewpoint and take theirs. Then look through their eyes until you start to feel like them. It’s possible – remember the battlefield story. You will instantly notice a shift in the atmosphere, a shift of energy. Then try to act based on tolerance, mercy, and a sense of true spiritual equality.
I repeat: miracles will happen in your environment – your relationships will greatly improve and everything will change for the better – simply because God is pleased.
This atmosphere of empathy and compassion will then spread, slowly but surely, almost like spring taking its flower-bearing wand and transforming a snow covered region. We just have to start.
May the coming year be a year in which we all act on the basis of compassion. It will be our best year. 100%!!!
Yours in seva,
Sacinandana Swami