I’m inspired to share this story today. It’s about compassion.
I keep these pictures on the wall of my meditation space. I’ve been asked about them many times. It’s not about worship or anything like that. It’s about remembering someone who inspires me.
These pictures are of the Dalai Lama (lower) and Chenrezig (upper).
According to Buddhist belief, the Dalai Lamas are earthly incarnations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion and patron saint of Tibet. In Buddhist tradition, bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who chose rebirth, rather than moving on to the afterlife, in order to serve humanity.
The Dalai Lama is said to be the embodiment of compassion.
What blows my mind about him as a person, a human being, is that he was exiled from his home land, Tibet. The temples destroyed, people killed and tortured, while Tibet became occupied. He fled to Nepal, where he lives today.
When his people wanted to hate those who occupied Tibet and take back their land by any means, he chose to remain peaceful and loving.He said, those who took over Tibet, exiled us, killed and tortured us, they are wounded. They don’t understand what they’ve done. If we are to become like them, with no compassion and full of hate and fear, what would we be saving?After everything they’d been through, he still found compassion for those who harmed him. If he could do that, certainly I must be able to find compassion for those who I feel have wronged me. For those I disagree with.
We must find compassion for each other, otherwise, what are we saving? What do we become?
Much love ❤️
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