Radical compassion is a special compassion practice. Compassion is the practice of seeing, at a foundational level, the goodness of all beings and recognizing that all beings long to feel happy and at peace. Special compassion practice involves cultivating the capacity to feel in one’s heart a desire to release all beings from suffering and the causes of suffering. When we cultivate compassion, we are also developing emotional resilience. Compassion and resilience go hand in hand.
Cultivating radical compassion gives us inner strength and supports us in reducing a sense of self-centeredness, which is a fundamental cause of mental and emotional suffering. With practice, the feeling of compassion arises in our heart, and with continued practice, compassion remains in the mind. With continued practice, feelings of anger, selfishness, jealousy, hatred, greed, and attachment begin to decrease, and feelings of happiness begin to increase, and we grow both compassion and emotional resilience
Whatever we rest our attention on grows. If we focus on anger and hatred and become entangled in that, we feel more anger and hatred. And if we cultivate compassion and kindness and rest our attention on that, feelings of kindness and compassion increase, as does our sense of emotional resilience.
How to Practice Radical Compassion Meditation
Sitting comfortably in a way that allows you to be alert but relaxed, gently close your eyes or focus your vision on something 2-3 feet in front of you, and relax your eyes into a soft gaze.
We can practice radical compassion meditation by imagining our friends and family to the right of us and recognizing that like us, they have fundamental goodness at the core of their being, and like us, they long to be happy, at peace, and free from suffering.
Next, we imagine people in our lives toward whom we feel neutral feelings, including neighbors, coworkers, or acquaintances and recognize that like us, they have fundamental goodness at the core of their being, and like us, they long to be happy, at peace, and free from suffering.
Next, we imagine our enemies in front of us toward whom we feel anger, resentment, or hatred and recognize that like us, they have fundamental goodness at the core of their being, and like us, they long to be happy, at peace, and free from suffering.
Then we imagine all sentient beings behind us and recognize that like us, they have fundamental goodness at the core of their being, and like us, they long to be happy, at peace, and free from suffering.
Everyday Compassion
As we practice radical compassion meditation and practice cultivating compassion and self-compassion toward ourselves and others in our everyday lives, we begin to express radical compassion in the world. This compassion meditation practice supports us in cultivating a greater sense of peace, happiness, and resilience, which helps others around us to experience a greater sense of peace, happiness, and resilience.
When we commit to always keeping radical compassion in our hearts, our lives can become filled with a greater sense of peace, joy, and resilience.
To learn more about how to be resilient, you can read my blog post on “Cultivating Emotional Resilience.” – link to article