Can We Learn to Be More Compassionate?

I believe that a critical and fundamental assertion that is often overlooked is that we can train our mind. For a long time this contrasted somewhat with biological science which told us that our neurons were fixed after a certain age and that our brain did not really change much after that.  However, more current research has overturned the fixed brain theory and now the brain is described by neuroscientists as being plastic.  This means that the Buddhist point of view, among others,  has had a good sense of how the human mind works and what its potential is.  What we do, think and feel matter and can alter the wiring and structure of our brains.

The affirming message in all of this is that we can change, even later in life, and expand our potential.  Alternatively the uncomfortable fact that accompanies the first is that if we are not involved in our own development then we are leaving it to chance.  We must use it or lose it so to speak.  We have an unprecedented capacity for wisdom, compassion, insight, skill development and to be healthy emotionally and physically.  But it is our responsibility to make sure that we are on a path for the changes to be positive and productive.

There is a similar responsibility that comes with a growing understanding of how flexible our minds and brains are.  It took the pressure off when things were more fixed.  After all, after the age of 25 (or whatever it was) your brain was fixed.  You could only be expected to change so much after that; you were already programmed.  Therefore if you weren't a master concert level musician by your mid to late 20's you could just blame your parents that they didn't get you started young enough.  Brain science is very new and can't tell us everything about ourselves, but it is inspiring to dwell on the thought that we do have some freedom to chart our own destiny if we have determination and commitment to do so.

One of the meditations in Buddhism is to reflect upon your luck at being born into a situation that has certain freedoms and advantages.  You reflect upon these things to inspire yourself to work on positive changes and to take advantage of the opportunities you have.  It is helpful to imagine others' situations who have no freedom or opportunities for spiritual practice or self development.  I think of these new discoveries of neuroscience in that context.  We are very fortunate, in spite of the responsibility it puts on us, that at least to some extent where we go, our brain will adapt and follow.

Linked here is a article from Scientific American about the studies going on and if meditation can affect our ability and capacity for empathy...Please check it out.  Meditate on this: You can learn to be more compassionate

The Reincarnation of a Blog

I have been very remiss in keeping up with posts here, but I have been incubating an idea for a spin off of the current blog.  I started this blog as an idea to create on-line support for our Buddhist reading group at Lake Street Church.  It was intended to help people to think about the ideas and concepts that we went over in our group at a different point in the week.  Many of these valuable spiritual ideas are more valuable the more we use them and, thus I wanted to create a platform that encouraged further reflection.


However, I don't think the blog was used very much by many members of our group and most of the audience was coming from outside even Lake Street Church's larger community.  This has led me to the idea to write a blog that about the concepts, ideas and teachings of Buddhism from a modern perspective.  I believe that Buddhist philosophy is of tremendous value to people living in Western countries.  Its teachings address much of what ills us as a people.  It could very well be more important and useful to people now than it has ever been in historical times.  Our world moves faster and faster with more ways to distract us arriving everyday.  We often find ourselves reacting to life instead of actively choosing how we want to live.  Along with this it is important to realize that science is catching up with the Buddhist world view and Eastern mystic traditions generally.  Advances in Physics and Neuroscience are unveiling discoveries that support the underlying theories of meditation practices and explanations of the world initially taught by Buddhist teachers and mystics thousands of years ago.  My conclusion in all of this is that ever more so, these are ideas and teachings whose time has come.


This newly reincarnated blog will not only attempt to give readers food for thought  in maintaining balance and perspective in the modern world, (there are many blogs that already do this) but this blog will reference scientific studies or research supporting Buddhist ideas or meditative techniques.  


However, most importantly the blog will address the critical question of why it matters for you to pay attention to these ideas.  A member of our reading group recently wrote, "It's like I get the 'what it is' but not the 'why it is important', if that makes any sense."  and it very much does.  Of all of the information available today and with all of the self help guides and gurus out there the why it is important is truly critical when competing for a person's attention.  It is my total conviction that the ideas that we will survey here are some of the most tried and tested ones out there that have withstood the tests of time and gracefully matured to greatness.  They are ideas that will help us to live more fulfilling, successful lives while also making the world a more rational and compassionate place.  I look forward to taking on this project, and I hope that you will join me, at least from time to time.  

Protecting Our Flame

Something that came up in discussion this past week is the tendency to be enthusiastic about the things that are inspiring which can lead people to overcommit before they are ready.  It is natural to be excited and to dive into new things, but maybe more important is a steadily growing and sustained commitment to new practices or disciplines.

Take exercise as very mundane example.  A person is motivated to start a new exercise program because they will be attending a class reunion, and they really want to be in shape before they meet their old friends again to give a good impression and show everyone how successful they are.  So for a few months they are really committed to exercise and they are very disciplined in maintaining their exercise regimen.  However, after the reunion is done, they slack off and they don't continue to work so hard now that the event of the reunion is behind them.

For all of the disciplines or practices that we might be be taken by, it is easy to get fired up and commit heavily short term to certain new ideas or philosophies while intense interest and inspiration lasts.  However, personally I think it is much more powerful to take a more measured approach.  A commitment  to a little bit of practice for many years can produce very fulfilling results over time.  We can compare it to saving money and generating compound interest.  We are all told that we can amass a fortune if we just start saving a little bit each week and let it grow steadily over time.  This is also so with meditation practice, mindfulness practices or efforts to improve our character.

On the other hand, what is gained if we enthusiastically begin such things but we don't continue because the regimen or expectations were unsustainable?  To improve ourselves or make fundamental changes to the way we live takes time.  Therefore, I am an advocate of a patient and temperate approach.  Be careful of the commitments that you make, think about them, and take them seriously when you choose to make them.

Taking advice from Shantideva's book... those endeavors of real value, and the progress that we make in pursuing them, should be defended and protected and not allowed to be lost.

This Fragile Human Life

The current disaster in Japan is a striking reminder to us of life's fragility and how urgent it is not to put off what is important.  The situation many residents in Japan find themselves in is the one that Buddhism constantly is reminding us of...  life is impermanent and can change in an instant.  The changes we may face vary in their severity, but whether they be the loss of a loved one, an unexpected life change or being confronted with death itself, we must not put off what has meaning until later.  Whether that is spending quality time with family, letting bygones be bygones or just taking time out to do what you love is a type of spiritual practice.

Buddha said that of all meditations, meditation on death is the ultimate one.   When we commit to being true to ourselves in spite of the busyness of the world, which tries to rob us of our time and trick us into spending it on other things, we are participating in this important meditation.  The realization that you don't have a lot of time makes you spend it more wisely and this leads to maturity and wisdom in your actions.  The tragedy in Japan and in other places in the world is a reminder to us that these things happen to all people.  What matters is not avoiding these disasters, as that is impossible.  What truly is important is that you be prepared if that disaster strikes and don't leave a lot of things undone.

The reminder of the fragility of life should also be used to have empathy and concern for our fellow beings who want to be happy and avoid tragedy just like us.  Please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts.  Send them your compassion and/or your prayers and hope that whatever good can come out of this situation will.

Here is a link a friend of mine provided to donate to the Red Cross, put "aid to Japan" with your donation to make sure it goes there.  http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=38380&tid=001

The Rational Desire for Other's Happiness

As we continue reading the Way of the Bodhisattva, I find myself thinking about the idea of aspiring for the happiness of others and what that means.  It occurred to me this week that achieving your own happiness is like hoping to fill a small shot glass full of water.  Whereas wanting happiness for all of humanity (or even beyond that for all sentient beings) is like aspiring for the ocean to be full of water.

It follows then that the water in a small glass of water can be quickly lost.  However, the water in the ocean will take thousands of years to dry up, assuming it ever will.  It is not a perfect analogy, but if you move your aspiration to the happiness of others, and put less focus on the water in your own glass, so to speak, you will be less affected by the constant fluctuations of fortune that we all experience.

Also, this seems to me to be a very rational approach.  Conscious investment in one individual's happiness puts a lot of your energy in one basket.  Let's face it, a lot of life is chance.  We all like to think that we are happy or successful by our own efforts alone, but it is probable that just as much is influenced by luck.  Therefore spending your energy on a larger pool is a way to make a wiser investment.

After all, the final argument one could make is that if you spend your life pursuing happiness for yourself, at the moment of your death that happiness will expire totally.  On the other hand, if we concern ourselves with the well being of others, we can rest assured that it will definitely out live us.  And the bigger our circle of care and compassion is, the more confident we can be that it will last long beyond our individual lives.

How We Grow Patience

Recently we have been reading chapter six on patience which, in my opinion, is the most critical chapter in the book.  It begins with this:

All the good works gathered in a thousand ages,
Such as deeds of generosity,
And offerings to the Blissful Ones-
A single flash of anger shatters them.

No evil is their similar to anger,
No austerity is there similar to patience.
Steep yourself, therefore, in patience,
In various ways, insistently. 

From this passage, we can sense the imperative to cultivate the type of patience that can defeat our anger.  This is a very large goal for most of us and can be off putting.  In our fast moving society, which focuses on immediate gratification, we have many opportunities to practice patience every day in smaller ways.  We can prepare our minds to deal with the larger challenges of anger and hatred which are harder to tackle by practicing on the smaller annoying or frustrating inconveniences of life.  This is a practical and doable way to grow our capacity for patience.

I overheard a person talking to his friend on the El a couple weeks ago about how annoyed he was when the person in front of him on the escalator blocked his way and prevented him from walking up.  He confessed that he was in no rush on this occasion and didn't even know why he was so annoyed.  We are often habitually impatient because this is encouraged by the world around us.  However, we can choose to be mindful and to respond with patience instead of frustration or exasperation.

Keeping this practice in mind may help to make us calmer and more relaxed.  This will not not only train us to not get upset habitually but will also spread a little more calm in a world which desperately needs it.  In the comments section share your stories of being impatient in everyday life, or moments when you realized you were being impatient and changed it.

This Precious Human Life

Last week we discussed self centered love and affection versus a more universal type of love which can be developed for all people regardless of one's personal attachments.  The question was asked if that is really possible and if there are people who experience this.  I think that this is a very good question and it relates to one of the reasons I was attracted to Buddhist thought and philosophy in the first place.  Buddhism believes that human beings (and therefore: us) have great potential and worth.  In fact we have the most potential to achieve the highest spiritual attainments than any other type of sentient being in existence.  (Wrap your mind around that!)

Recently I heard a lecture by Robert Thurman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Thurman) which addresses the assumptions within Buddhism about the worth and potential of an individual.  Robert Thurman asks in his lecture, "how much do you really appreciate yourself and what are you capable of achieving?  ...Is it all you can do to learn a little about Mozart and go to the Opera once in a while?  Or maybe all you can do is trudge through life doing the same old things that you've always done? Is this what you are capable of?  Is that really it?"  He offers multiple examples like this, and his and Buddhism's answer, of course, is "No."  You are capable of much much more. You are a human being and have "the highest evolutionary ability" and potential on earth.  You have the highest opportunity "to become the most magnificent being...that could be the source of blessing and benefit to millions (of beings.)"  And if you think your potential is less than this then you are really selling yourself short.

Thurman extolls that we have the capacity to develop sharp diamond like concentration, a imperturbable serene calmness or even self transcendence!  But instead we waste our time or wait for the next distraction or entertainment.  Buddhism challenges us to confront our own limited ideas about what we are and what we can achieve with the brief time of our life.  If we truly can become enlightened or achieve universal love for all of humankind may be irrelevant... just believing that we can, may help us to accomplish much more than we would have imagined possible.

You can listen to Robert Thurman's lecture on this subject by clicking here and either stream or download it.  There are multiple engaging podcasts of Thurman lecturing on Buddhism if you are interested.