"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
- Dalai Lama
It sounds so very simple - so why then is it so difficult to do? For me, the key word is "practice" - not just in the sense of doing something, but in the sense of doing it over and over until you get it right. The "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again" sort of practice.
How does one practice compassion towards oneself? What kinds of thoughts and actions communicate compassion to one's soul? It's easy for me to think of ways to show compassion to others, but surprisingly difficult to think of ways to practice compassion towards myself. Taking good care of my body would be one way - but that doesn't address the inner self (at least not directly). Looking in the mirror and saying "I love you" seems excessively cheesy, not to mention narcissistic. Doing the things on my list in an earlier post may be helpful - but are they addressing the heart of the problem or simply treating the symptoms?
Any ideas, dear friends? Do you practice compassion toward yourself, and if so, how?
How does one practice compassion towards oneself? What kinds of thoughts and actions communicate compassion to one's soul? It's easy for me to think of ways to show compassion to others, but surprisingly difficult to think of ways to practice compassion towards myself. Taking good care of my body would be one way - but that doesn't address the inner self (at least not directly). Looking in the mirror and saying "I love you" seems excessively cheesy, not to mention narcissistic. Doing the things on my list in an earlier post may be helpful - but are they addressing the heart of the problem or simply treating the symptoms?
Any ideas, dear friends? Do you practice compassion toward yourself, and if so, how?
What about the idea of being a good mother to one's self? While I'm not a parent, I do have a sense that a good mother feels responsible for both the comfort and the development of the child. So I think if we are good mothers to ourselves we'll be trying to extend support as well as certain kinds of pressures. There's some kind of balance there to be found.
ReplyDeleteUltimately though, this is just guesswork. I'll be interested to read other comments if such there be.