Compassion
Now, compassion is yet another misunderstood word. Compassion is sometimes equated with “feeling sorry for,” and is often used as a bludgeon — “If you had an ounce of compassion, you’d look after me and do what I want.”
And yet, in the Zen world, the compassionate act could be a kick in the ass. It’s often abrupt, and direct, and challenging.
The Mind’s Cobwebs
We’ve been conditioned by our families and tribes to ‘fit in.’ Making positive change is therefore difficult, as many changes go against our ‘tribal’ rules. We explore how we set our values, and how to begin the process of questioning everything.
Clearing Body, Mind & Spirit - Body Cleanse
More and more, we see scowling or blank faced people, walking slowly and painfully along, carting extra weight around—as a full belly is substituted for a full and meaningful life.
Nonetheless, despite the chaos that is our world, I recognize that there are more and more people that are growing weary of the same old ways of being. The west has the market locked on vertical thinking, i.e. that more or bigger or higher is better. And yet, as time goes by, there is more crime, more pollution, more crap to swallow (and hold on to,) with an attendant almost total lack of real satisfaction.
I’m going to push you to ruthlessly examine your life—your vocation, your relationships, your purpose for being, as well as the ease (or dis-ease) of your body, mind and spirit. I’ll be talking about accumulated sludge, both physical and mental, and how to begin to eliminate said sludge.
Zen Based, Present Living
