There is a previous post (January 15, 2022) with an overview of the Brahma Viharas. The first of the four is LovingKindness, please see the blog post about this quality from September 4, 2021.
Today's post is for the second Brahma Vihara, Compassion
The second Brahma Vihara, Compassion (Karuna in Pali) follows Metta, the first of the four Brahma
Viharas, and extends it to those who are in pain and suffering. As we become more sensitive and tuned
in with mindfulness, we notice the subtle and not so subtle manifestations of suffering in people around
us, and in ourselves. We train ourselves to use that noticing as an opportunity to develop compassion,
rather than judgment, fear or aversion. We practice meeting life’s challenges and difficulties with the
intention to offer care and wishes for well being. Over time this practice becomes more automatic. It
helps us stay present during uncomfortable or unpleasant moments, rather than avoiding, shutting
down, or exaggerating our response. With the help of equanimity (the fourth Brahma Vihara), we
balance our attention, staying in the moment with things as they are, feeling our feelings and allowing
them to move along.
As you read this you may be thinking, ugh! I just want to get away from those unpleasant moments and
feelings at all costs. I don’t want to stay with them and become overwhelmed or immobilized by them.
I encourage you to notice that urge, and to experiment with staying present. How do you do that? By
getting curious and interested in noticing what is here: what are you sensing in the body now (may be
hot or cold, contracted, heavy, clammy, agitated). Doing this helps take your mind off the habitual
“story” you may tell yourself as you face a difficult moment. Shifting your focus to “what is actually here
in the body in this moment?” creates the opportunity for a different experience. It allows things to
continue to move and flow, rather than to get stuck in predictable loops of thought-emotion-sensation-
reaction.
As I write this, I am aware of an on-going theme that causes me suffering: having a “to do list” that is
overly ambitious and creates a sense of pressure and tension in my body. What might be possible if I
were to pause and simply notice and allow that to be known?
After a few moments: I feel tightness in the back of my neck, I have a sense of being alone with this, a
need to push others away as I gallantly meet my (self-imposed) obligations. I am aware of the ways I
make it more difficult, feeling unsettled and at odds with myself and the world. With that awareness
things begin to shift, reminding me to bring compassion for myself, and all those who are dealing with
similar inner conflicts. I let go of the story “I am so burdened, if only…” and notice the colors out my
window, the still air, the smells of summer. I am grateful to experience this shift, and to offer it to you.
I hope this encourages you to notice the next time you experience pain or suffering, and to meet it with
compassion. What is here and what is possible when you bring compassionate awareness to it?