Compassion and very often contradict each other. Why do we need sympathy for people? Compassion is shown in action

Compassion and Empathy are the ability of the soul to empathize, that is, to understand the feelings of another person, to understand what is happening in his soul (to understand and empathize with his victories and joys, suffering and pain).

Have you ever thought about the difference between compassion and pity? After all, most often people “feel sorry” for someone...

And is it good to feel sorry for someone, to feel sorry for yourself? Have you ever wondered: why do I feel sorry for people, help many people, but in return I only get unnecessary problems and no gratitude?

Let's try to understand this in more detail today.

What is the difference between compassion and pity? How to understand and feel the thin line that separates these two empathic reactions? I think that it would be useful for everyone to ask themselves a similar question and understand for themselves the meaning of these two concepts.

At first glance, this is the same thing, just accompanied by different emotional overtones. Compassion is something higher, coming from the depths of the soul, and pity is where fear and pain are.

Compassion is what ultimately helps the soul of the one we help to become better and develop. And in the end, this is rewarded from above to those who are endowed with compassion.

And pity is what ultimately destroys the soul of the one we help out of pity. And if this is to the detriment of others, then the person is rewarded “just what he deserves,” that is, it attracts problems into his life.

Compassion is the ability to empathize, the ability to accurately determine emotional condition another person and understand what is happening to him. Compassion is the ability, under any conditions, to act in such a way as to cause as little harm as possible to surrounding beings.

Pity is essentially a statement of the weakness, inability or “defectiveness” of another being in comparison with oneself, a statement of his suffering from some distance.

Pity generates a flow of destructive energy, because in pitying, a person usually recognizes the inferiority of the object of pity, his inability to get out of difficult situations on his own, in the end, pity is the recognition of another’s position as a victim: “Poor, unfortunate thing, how bad you feel...” and this the image is embedded in a feeling of pity.

A very simple example of dialogue...

- How we pity the person. Here you need to feel sorry for a person... how do you determine that he is feeling bad?

- Put yourself in his place.

- Well, of course, we put ourselves in his place. So, who do we feel sorry for? Myself. And huddling with oneself is not that bad. Self-pity is like a pipe through which all energy flies out. Whatever the energy was, at that moment when you feel sorry for yourself, it made you use your handle and f-i-i-i-t - like in the toilet. The energy is gone! A-a-a-... poor me, poor, so I too will stand... and I will extend my hand, no one loves me, no one will give me a coin. Poor, poor me! Only you don’t think, “Poor me, poor,” you think, “Poor, poor grandma.”

And this is the same thing. When you feel sorry for people, you put yourself in their place, in fact you feel sorry for yourself. And pity, it always comes from this... well, on the one hand, a feeling of superiority, because now you’re not standing in front of a church and not asking for money. That means you're better than her. But you put yourself in her place, and you felt sorry for yourself from above, from yourself from below. And pity, because it deprives you of power, does not give you the opportunity for adequate interaction.

For example, you think she’s feeling bad, but maybe she’s saving for a car. And she feels very good. And she doesn’t know how else to earn money for a car at her age.

Or maybe she is really hungry, maybe she needs to be fed. Because some dude will come and take her money. She stands there, and he comes later, takes her money, gives her a blow and that’s it.

Or maybe she just needs to be fed. And you can feel it if you have compassion for her. You don’t feel sorry for her, but have compassion. That is, you tune in to her, you feel her as an extension of yourself, you feel her state. And from this sympathy, from this compassion, you feel what will be best for her.

Maybe it’s better to just pass by, because it’s not useful, all her fundraising is not useful.

Do you understand? And then there is no pity, there is compassion. And compassion always manifests itself in an adequate form, the most adequate. Sometimes compassion is... like a surgeon performing an operation, the compassion of a surgeon. He does not spare the patient. Imagine “Oh-oh-oh, oh how it’s going to hurt me now! Oops, it’s better not to cut too much!” How it will hurt him.

The compassion of a surgeon is when he acts collectedly and accurately. Otherwise, the patient will only get worse. So this is compassion by action. And this is the most effective.

Pity accustoms one to weakness and inaction. Feeling sorry for himself, a person often gladly shares his personal burden with others, shifts responsibility for his actions onto someone else, demanding understanding or support.

A person feels equally bad when something really hurts him, and when just some of his whims are not realized. A person learns, just a little, to feel sorry for himself with all his might, without even realizing that his suffering is not as great as he portrays it. And moreover, consolation is often more important for him than solving the problem that made him feel bad.

And instead of being strong and independent, a person lives weak and dependent - because throughout his entire life, by and large, he does nothing on his own. And the one who pities him helps him remain in this state as long as possible.

Sympathy, Compassion and Empathy are very important positive human qualities, I would say that these are the abilities of a spiritually mature person. The souls of a person who has experience and has gone through a lot and experienced a lot in life. Some consider compassion and empathy to be weakness or unnecessary emotions, nuns, etc., but this is not the right attitude. The one whose heart is not capable of compassion and sympathy deserves only this very compassion and sympathy, for cruelty lives in his heart and does not live (Love).

In addition, it is very important not to confuse compassion with pity. Compassion This is a bright feeling that strengthens the one to whom it is directed. A a pity- a dark and destructive feeling, and it always makes the one who is pitied even weaker and more insignificant. Compassion is a sign of Generosity, and pity is an indicator of cowardice! Read more about Pity.

What is Compassion and Empathy?

Compassion and Empathy- this is the soul’s ability to empathize, that is, to understand the feelings of another person, to understand what is happening in his soul (to understand and empathize with his victories and joys, suffering and pain).

They say that if you are capable of compassion, then you have a heart, and in your heart there is love. And it is true. A person can experience compassion only on the basis of the experience of his soul, that is, his soul remembers (even if the person himself does not remember it) when it itself was in a similar situation (in past life or in this one) and what she was experiencing then (good or bad).

About Compassion, Empathy and Empathy:

Only a spiritually rich woman with rich life experience is capable of compassion and empathy, who has passed her trials with dignity, has not become angry, has not become hardened, has not accumulated resentment and anger towards her fate and God, but has preserved love, humanity, faith in her heart, bright feelings. Such a person is able to console and encourage another who finds himself in a difficult situation and help him, and not drown him in suffering with his pity.

Compassion- it’s a bright feeling when spiritual heart a stream of light energy (positive experience, feelings) comes out of a person and enters the heart of another person, brightening, healing and helping him survive his grief. Compassion- this does not mean suffering with a person, this does not mean dragging the problems and negativity of another onto yourself, it does not mean killing yourself with him, tearing him and your heart apart, no! This means healing, including with the truth, being able to speak it with compassion and love, even if it is very bitter.

Compassion and empathy presuppose the subsequent acceptance of a problem (even the most painful one), the whole truth about oneself (recognition of one’s sin, one’s wrongfulness) and an active solution to this problem - “Any trouble must be eliminated!”.

True sympathy, as a rule, does not end with empathy alone, but involves some kind of active action to help someone who really needs this help. Pity in itself is fruitless and does not imply any active and useful actions.

About Pity:

A pity is a dark feeling, the essence of which is: “Let’s suffer and destroy ourselves and each other together...”, “Why will you suffer alone, let’s together - I’ll pity you, you’ll pity me, we’ll suffer to the fullest, we’ll eat away at our souls, we’ll blame fate, we’ll complain to each other about what the world is like.” not fair, what a hard life... so you look and you won’t have to do anything...”. Complaining does not involve active action to eliminate the problem.

Pity destroys a person’s faith, bright feelings in the heart, kills Love, although many people mistakenly believe that pity is one of the qualities of love. This is wrong! Pity is in pure form indulgence (justification) for that evil in a person (his negativity, vices and weaknesses) that kills this very love! And as long as a person regrets and justifies his evil, it will always live in him and destroy the soul until it grows to limitless proportions and destroys the person. There is one of two things here - either you are it, or it is you, there is no third option!

Every normal and worthy person needs to learn clearly distinguish between Sympathy and Pity. Learn to feel and understand the experiences of others in such a way as not to feed into them everything that is dark, unworthy, vicious and weak, but, on the contrary, to encourage them to free themselves from everything that is nasty and destroys their soul. So that instead of a disgusting feeling of self-pity, helplessness and insignificance, a person begins to feel strength, positive charge and determination to cope with all problems, to pass any tests of fate with dignity and honor! And so that he feels that he is understood, loved, believed in and will always be helped.

IN modern world we are surrounded by circumstances that interfere with our humanity, spiritual growth. All kinds of problems enter our consciousness. And yet, there are truths that we need in all circumstances. Physical reality is only an outer manifestation of something already involved in us at a deep level, and material solutions to our problems will not work because they cannot address their root. To achieve meaningful change, we must focus our efforts on gaining deep, insightful insight into what is happening.

In all circumstances, regardless of all the various remedies that we can try to apply in our lives, the only way their decisions remain compassionate. Compassion involves reaching into the heart of every situation and, as a consequence of unconditional love, it can become a means of getting rid of problems. The more we become aware of our inner spiritual nature, the sooner we will understand that only compassion can help us transcend the temporary and relative aspects of life. This growing awareness can gradually lead us out of vicious circle negative circumstances. When we discover compassion within ourselves, our consciousness becomes transcendental and we begin to emit a higher energy that can uplift others and become a means of relief from the pain and suffering of this world.

Prerequisite for returning home

The highest goal of spiritual life is to return home to the kingdom of God - spiritual world. The practice of compassion is an integral part of our preparation to achieve this goal. Preparation is necessary even in worldly life - it will help us behave correctly in various situations. For example, if we have been invited to an official reception, we must dress appropriately. If we have to perform on stage with musical number, we are also expected to look a certain way. If we play a role in a play, we must learn the text. Without proper preparation, we can find ourselves in an extremely difficult situation.

Similarly, we must prepare ourselves well before arriving in the spiritual world. All the major scriptures emphasize that we are all eternal beings who have a home away from the mundane reality of this existence. We left our home and ended up here. Even in this place we can achieve higher consciousness, but we are not destined to become truly happy here.

Right now we must prepare as quickly as possible to regain what we have lost and gain the riches that await us in the spiritual realm. No one can hope to enter the kingdom of God without having compassion. Almost all orthodox scriptures, including the Bible, the Koran and the Torah, instruct us to love our neighbors as ourselves. But loving your neighbors as yourself can be perceived as some kind of business offer, because it is based on the idea of ​​​​exchanging one amount of love for another. In such a situation, our love may be conditional, which is not a sign of transcendence.

As spiritual people we must go further by developing the ability to love others much more than ourselves. If we love our neighbor much more than ourselves, thinking only of the good of the other person, then we can become agents of compassion and be confident that we have taken the path that leads to the transcendental world.

If we selflessly try to fill our lives with spirituality, the Universe itself will provide us with amazing support. We will no longer be controlled by the limitations of earthly reality, but we will be able to achieve a miracle. Developing higher love, we will be worthy to receive such blessings, which will ultimately become a kind of password that allows us to leave this prison of the material world.

Above the desire for liberation

Although developing compassion is necessary for returning home to Godhead, we should not consider it as a means of increasing our own chances of salvation. In fact, compassion extends far beyond our selfish motivations and even transcends the desire to return to the kingdom of God. For this reason, if we simply study some techniques of Yoga in order to gain some physical power, or try to get a guarantee of salvation, then we are engaged in spiritual activities at the elementary level. All these paths are aimed at adapting to the state of confinement and finding some kind of easy liberation from suffering and anxiety material life. These practices do not allow us to rise above this world of self-centeredness, and they are unlikely to give us the opportunity to gain true spiritual understanding. We cannot go back to the spiritual world with this mentality.

Egocentrism hinders our spiritual progress, and we must constantly analyze our behavior in order to eradicate even traces of this quality. Most of the time we are puzzled by our own problems. Often these are not even fundamentally important problems. We are so accustomed to fulfilling our desires that we avoid the pursuit of love and happiness and a stable sense of well-being. Instead, we focus on problems that are an integral part of this world of duality, constantly feeding our feelings, and cultivating selfishness. Even such an “acceptable” desire as the thirst for liberation is often based on egocentrism. In fact, liberation and salvation are something that happens automatically when we reject our selfish desires and develop the ability to have compassion for others.

The Meaning of Compassion

Compassion is suppressed by material limitations. The term "material" suggests survival of the fittest - one who is willing to show strength and the desire to manipulate others for the sake of his well-being. Compassion is the opposite spiritual quality, based on selflessness and freedom from anger and any other sense of possessiveness. It is not a sentimental feeling, and it does not come and go with our feelings. If we feel compassion, we are ready to offer our unmotivated unconditional love others, being willing to make sacrifices for them.

Compassion is spontaneous and has nothing to do with guilt, fear or regret. If we offer our help to others when we really don’t want it, the motive for our activity can be anything other than compassion. In such cases, we feel obligated to act in a certain way, doomedly offering our services, only because we have not found an opportunity to relinquish this responsibility. The situation changes completely when we offer our communication to others in a sublime, joyful state of consciousness. This is true compassion.

If we have acquired the ability to love God, then we can also love His integral parts - all living beings around us. A true devotee of the Lord is only interested in being the servant of others, seeing everyone as a manifestation of the energy of God. We can show compassion and love to all people without exception, because by serving others, we serve the Lord.

Material life is full of innumerable miseries. If we are concerned only with our own comfort or even our own liberation, we will cling to selfish ideas and desires that cannot enable us to achieve the highest goal of loving fellowship with the Lord in His kingdom. If we develop a deep level of selflessness and compassion, we will become true servants who can share our divine love with everyone, no matter the circumstances. Sometimes we meet people who are suffering: blind, sick, homeless, imprisoned, victims of violence, forced to leave their homes. We love them so much that we are willing to take on their problems to save them from pain.

Compassion is not condescension

As mentioned above, we should strive to be a living and active embodiment of love, seeking to take advantage of even the smallest opportunity to serve others. However, we must be very careful about our mindset when serving. Sometimes people offer their help to others condescendingly, as if implying: “You are not capable of this, but pay attention to how I was able to cope with this situation.” We should never simply tolerate or feel pity for others while feeling naturally superior. Compassion is not superiority, it is not helping others with the mentality of “I’m going to be nice to you,” “I’m going to show you how good I am.” This mood is ugly in nature and has nothing to do with compassion.

Our mood should be: “I am your spiritual brother or sister. I love you and I want you not to suffer from this wound. My only desire and duty is to help you."

We must perceive difficulties that arise in another person's life as a call for help, love, compassion and service on our part. No one wants to experience pain, disappointment and anxiety. Even those people who are externally attached to this state need simple attention and caring - in other words, they want love.

When we put such a situation into perspective, we can easily remain unaffected by the ungrateful and irresponsible behavior of another. We can tell ourselves that this person needs love and the Lord is giving me a chance to serve him. I need to try to figure out how I can help him. When we think this way, it will be much easier for us to tolerate the weaknesses of another person.

In reality, if we want to help other people without feeling compassion, they will only receive superficial benefit. Contact between people becomes strong only when it is strengthened at a subtle level, and not at a gross level. The feeling that we want to help can be the strongest basis for establishing such contact. Therefore, if another person feels, even subconsciously, that we are simply trying to demonstrate our wisdom or superiority in something, then he will not be able to perceive our service as sincere.

Although this subtle connection on a feeling level can work in a negative way, as just described, it can also play a positive role. If we come from a sincere desire to help a person's development, even if someone's ego tries to block our good intentions at some stage, our message will still be heard. Maybe not immediately, but after a while the person will be able to answer.

Compassion Takes Courage

Compassion goes beyond the concepts of “I” and “mine” and rises above the concepts of material comfort and security. When we are compassionate, we have no interest in gaining physical or mystical power. Without thinking about personal losses or gains, we feel the suffering of others so deeply that we devote ourselves to doing something for them. This requires great courage.

The countless problems of the modern world require the participation of people of spiritual strength who can act in contact with the world at all levels of defilement without being affected by it. Such individuals can help people who feel rejected, lonely, powerless and hopeless. Those who go to bed suffering and wake up afraid will know that the Lord loves them and they have hope.

Physical obstacles

Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like to be blind? Life for a blind person is terribly difficult because so much of what we do requires us to be able to see. This is why such people often depend on others just to live in this world. When they need help the most, people may ignore them and even bully them. If we want to become transcendental and develop qualities that can lead us back to Godhead, then we must have compassion for such people. We must be willing to sacrifice everything so that they can have the opportunity to feel better in this life, even if it means giving up our own safety and comfort. Can we put ourselves in this person's shoes to help him overcome his blindness?

What is it like for people who cannot speak? Imagine not being able to express your feelings in words. Can you imagine the deep inner disappointment of such a situation? Could you take the place of such a person? This level of selfless love determines your readiness to return back to the kingdom of God.

We know people who are bedridden with serious illnesses and are unable to walk because they have become helpless invalids. They cannot take care of themselves, so others have to take care of them. These people need to be fed, washed, and sometimes even taken to the toilet. Such dependence should become a reason for the development of humility. In such situations, so-called friends and family members send their incapacitated relatives away, considering them too much of a burden because they need to be constantly monitored and looked after.

Often such people create huge problems when they die, this is reflected in a feeling of relief in the hearts of their closest relatives. Family members may simply expect and hope that death will come sooner or later and relieve them of these obligations. Are you sure that your compassion for these souls is so strong that you are willing to change places with them in order to free them from this burden?

Homeless

The problem with homelessness exists both in the United States and in all other countries of the world. Even in Washington, the capital of the American state, many homeless people live on roadsides all year round, regardless of weather conditions. At the end of the day they have nowhere to go because they have no family and no refuge. Now think about own life. In the morning, you leave the comfort of your home to go to work or engage in some activity. At the end of the day, you come back to spend the evening with your family and people who are very close to you. Loved ones give us strength and energy, giving our lives meaning, so we can face the inevitable problems.

But imagine those people who have no home, no job, no family. When such people find a place to rest on the street, children may throw stones at them and the police may arrest them. Whenever we pass by them, all we can do is look at them and, special cases, give them a few pennies. Will we have enough compassion to feel the sadness and unhappiness that tears their hearts?

Many people are so filled with fear that sometimes they feel better when they find someone who is in a much worse situation than them. If something bad happens to their friend, they may offer words of support and sympathy, but deep down they will be glad that they themselves managed to avoid such a fate. This mood indicates material consciousness. When our compassion is so strong that we are willing to take the place of a homeless woman to relieve her of suffering, then we will be worthy of entering the spiritual world. But not before.

Prisoners

It is quite sad that in American society, as in many other countries, people often break laws instead of leading a natural life. Modern civilization can satisfy the needs of many people. High crime rates and overcrowded prisons indicate that something is wrong with our society. The worst thing is that the number of teenagers committing crimes is constantly increasing. Youth are the future of every nation and the growing number of young people who feel anger and frustration causing them to behave inappropriately is the most serious problem. Can you imagine yourself in the shoes of someone sentenced to life in prison without parole? Every day you get out of bed, realizing that nothing lies ahead of you. You may lose all contact with outside world and even with your family, who will no longer contact you. You want to return everything back, you think that you were born in vain and your most ardent desire now is to die. You are ready to commit suicide, but even this expression of freedom is deprived of you, because everything that can be used for this purpose has been taken away from you.

To strengthen our compassion and develop a sense of gratitude, we must interrupt our natural rhythm of life and visit a prison to understand the condition of the prisoner. We can also visit a hospital, institute or other medical institution to remind ourselves how many people suffer, get sick and feel unhappy. When we witness the state of hopelessness and indifference in which others find themselves, we can truly develop a deep understanding of the special good fortune that has befallen us and further strengthen our desire to help others. If we once do this, we will be able to be humble about many things that happen to us, we will understand that all our complaints are based on selfishness and the reasons for their occurrence are that we do not have the opportunity to satisfy our feelings, as we would like I wanted to.

In Western society, our problems are rarely life-threatening. We can easily become trapped in our own frustrations and worries, constantly complaining and forgetting that millions of people are now in circumstances far worse than those we have experienced. We may complain that we can't pay for the car this month, but at least we have one. We may kick ourselves for not being able to make the next insurance payment, but at least we are covered. Although the American welfare system is falling apart before our eyes, most countries in the world do not even have such a system. In developing countries, people with physical disabilities and people with disabilities do not have the opportunity to work and often, without family support, are forced to beg and live in poverty.

And yet, we take our social structure and material well-being for granted. Instead of being grateful to God, giving ourselves entirely to helping someone who has much less, we often complain that we lack much. But remember that if we want to enter the kingdom of God, we must be willing to make any sacrifice to glorify the Lord and allow others to draw closer to Him.

Refugee situation

Think about the situation a refugee family finds itself in. They are forced to live in inhumane conditions, constantly moving from one place to another in search of food, shelter and protection. We have all heard the news reports about the terrible suffering that is being inflicted on huge numbers of people forced to flee their homes without food or medical care. These people literally live for today.

We do not have the opportunity to compare their situation with our own. Will we be able to live, counting every minute and hour, moving from one city to another, from one camp to another, without having the slightest opportunity to improve our situation. They are often victims of violence, terror, grief that may linger from the past, suffering that is brought upon them in the present, despite the fact that nothing awaits them in the future except more pain, and perhaps death. . They tried to escape their torment by running away from the scene of hostilities to save their lives. They left behind all their belongings, and their loved ones could be tortured or killed before their eyes.

Such refugees are forced to live with all these terrible memories, having nothing to rely on, leaving behind everything that they ordinary person could be grounds for hope for the future. Those who have lost everything dear to them may lose the very desire to live. In fact, such people have lost most themselves.

How would you feel in such a situation? Everything you put into your life is destroyed. The ones you loved most are lost to you forever, and you have to pick up the pieces of your life when there is nothing left. After all, the ability to continue living requires faith in this world, which has brought terrible pain and disappointment upon you. Millions of people in a similar situation today see virtually no prospects. The problem of refugees is becoming increasingly urgent every day with the emergence of all kinds of conflicts on racial, ethnic and religious grounds. In such circumstances, those who suffer the most are ordinary people, and especially children.

Although the situation of refugees may not seem as dire as that of prisoners, despite the fact that outwardly they are free and can decide where to go, in reality they are in the same trap. And children who have gone through such difficult times will suffer throughout their lives, never trusting anyone. They may scream and cry at night with feelings of grief and loneliness. They will be haunted by terrible nightmares because they have seen their mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, grandparents taken away before their eyes.

Victims of violence

Now imagine a small, defenseless child who is being abused by those who should be protecting him. How painful it must be for an innocent child who turns to his parents for love and care and receives nothing in return except humiliation and pain! Child abuse permeates every aspect of our lives. Children who have been abused from the very beginning early age They learn not to trust adults and see the whole world as a refuge of evil. Millions of children have developed this attitude because they have experienced nothing but anger and violence.

Another category of people exposed to violence are adults. Imagine how an elderly woman who has lived her whole life for her family feels loneliness and isolation in last years life. Her own children have rejected her and treat her with disdain. They forget that one day they themselves will become old people who will have to depend on others, perhaps their own children, who must love them, thanking and respecting them for everything their parents have done for them. Sometimes an elderly woman's own children may beat her, knowing full well that she will not be able to fight back or say anything against them. Such ungrateful people become indignant at the mere thought that their mother is near them. Like robbers, they take her money and everything she has, in the hope that she will die and they will be able to collect insurance, and this will end their suffering associated with the poor parent.

How compassionate are we?

Do we feel like crying when we hear about situations like this? Do we want to remain on this hellish planet forever, abandoning the desire to be saved and devoting our whole lives and souls to freeing these people from suffering? If we can answer in the affirmative while being honest with ourselves, then we will be worthy to enter the kingdom of God. Of course the Lord will not allow His beloved servants to suffer forever for the sake of others, but some of them may demonstrate a sincere desire to do so. The Lord becomes extremely considerate of those who sacrifice their lives by developing such consciousness. In fact, this level attracts the help of the Lord to help such people dispel the pain and disappointment in the hearts of others.

Many spiritual traditions tell us of saints who literally felt the pain experienced by those around them. Since they feel this pain so intensely, they try not to cause suffering to anyone nearby. On the contrary, they feel joy when they can help someone else feel happy. Imagine yourself in any of the difficult or difficult situations described in this article. Try to feel what the suffering person is experiencing and think about the love that the soul needs when experiencing it hard times. As we have said, true compassion means that we are willing to put ourselves in the person's shoes to make a difference in the lives of others. better side. We are not talking about any religion here, but about a true level of spirituality that requires us to adhere to our principles. This task is not for the faint-hearted. As spiritual people, we must develop the spiritual maturity to be able to make such sacrifices consciously and help raise the level of consciousness of this planet.

Such complete, undivided devotion is a prerequisite for entering the abode of divine love. Spiritual life is not something external that allows us to hope for our daily bread.

Those who have gained access to the kingdom of God have moved far beyond the boundaries of guilt and fear of punishment. They don't care what God can do to them. Moreover, they understand that spiritual life is meant to transform their consciousness so that they can be completely surrendered and dedicated to the service of the Lord and His creation.

The selfishness and terrible suffering that surround us can be so unbearable that we may begin to doubt whether there are people on earth capable of such selfless compassion. Fortunately, such divine messengers exist. They come to teach us compassion by being real example how we can elevate our existence, making it meaningful and spiritual. Those who have had the opportunity to encounter such selfless people have been blessed with the rare opportunity to witness the actions of souls who have no regard for their own welfare in their quest to lead others home, back to Godhead. Endowed with the determination and infinite compassion of such exalted souls, how can we refrain from following their example? Their protection and help will help us work wonders.

Compassion gives spiritual strength

Achieving a high level of spirituality implies that we have been able to develop love and compassion. When we feel a burning desire to make major changes in our lives for the better, it means we have support higher powers. Although the implementation of such strong desire may be beyond our capabilities, remember that our sincerity and desire can attract the energy of the Lord, which will allow us to achieve a goal that we could never approach alone.

Many great prophets had such grace from the Lord. Some of them descended directly from the highest abode of the Lord, being messengers, conductors of the mission of God and destined to exert a strong influence on the inhabitants of this planet. Others, having been born on Earth, became so compassionate and developed such a burning desire to help others that the Lord helped them by bestowing His blessing. They feel the pain of others to such an extent that the Lord allows His divine energy to enter their hearts and help fulfill their mission.

By acting as guides, they gain the highest blessing a person can receive in this world: the ability to destroy the bad karma of others, just as Jesus did when he died for the sins of mankind. The life of such compassionate beings prevents the strengthening of negative karma in society, giving people the opportunity to gain an understanding of higher truths.

Help for the Confused

Materialism, implanted everywhere in this world, constantly subjugates our feelings and tries; stuffing us with artificial nutritional mass that cannot satisfy us or give us strength. In fact, materialism acts like a delayed poison. Something really goes wrong when humanity's brightest minds dedicate themselves to perfecting murder weapons, or when drug trafficking becomes the most prosperous business on this planet. A culture cannot be considered healthy when military warehouses are overflowing with chemical and nuclear weapons capable of destroying our entire planet to the ground many times in a row.

It is important to prevent the spread of negative influences in the modern world. Unfortunately, each of us is becoming more and more susceptible to the influence of demonic energies. In such a crazy world, we should try to avoid the trap of similarity and should not be afraid to be different. The desire to adapt to such a crazy world around us will be the first sign of abnormality, and the desire to be different may be the only healthy and reasonable thought.

As spiritual people, we must overcome the influence of the general atmosphere, and we should not be surprised when people reject our help. They may be trapped in a prison of sense gratification, without sufficient strength to fight the evil influences around them. On top of this, they may be disappointed by events from their past life and are afraid of being deceived again. They try to protect themselves by not allowing us to get close to them to have any impact on their lives.

The problem is a lack of love

We must always remember that most of the suffering in this world is due to material conditions, but is caused by lack of love. Think about the aggressiveness of children today. Given the atmosphere in which they grew up, it becomes almost impossible for them to behave differently. Being products of self-centered and forced unions, they were conceived in an atmosphere of violence in which there was no room for expression true love. In the womb, such children felt only disappointment, anxiety, anger and unhappiness. After their birth, they found themselves in the same atmosphere. Every moment life threatened them with hostility, violence and neglect. These souls have never met anyone who cares about them. However, sometimes people certain type were able to find a way out of their seemingly predestined fate. They did not turn to drugs and crime and are now free. Instead, they became politicians, doctors, social workers, teachers who genuinely cared about others. How did they escape the hostility and degradation that surrounded them? If we look at their past, we will find that at least one person in their life was different. Someone truly cared about them. This man's love transformed their consciousness. They gained a sense of self-esteem, which gave them the strength to resist negative phenomena in the world around them.

We never know that we play an important role in the life of any soul. We constantly influence each other on a subtle level as well as on a gross level, sometimes without realizing how much influence we have on others. In these times, so many people are victims of the heavy pollution of this planet: they cannot breathe fresh air, they experience many other problems, so as soon as they take a breath fresh air, they can feel the difference. It is very difficult to overestimate the importance of perhaps a small expression of attention. The more we bring out this divinity within us and express it through compassion, the better we impact the lives of the people we meet in Everyday life.

Become receptive to higher energy

The influence we can have on others is based on who we are and the energy we emit. There may not be much change happening to us on the physical level. When we interact with people, our own love, devotion and care will automatically resonate in their hearts, which in turn can become an incentive for change.

Therefore, we must work on ourselves in such a way that we naturally radiate love and compassion. This kind of work is by no means self-centered. We become like soldiers preparing to go onto the battlefield. Any relationship with another person involves subtle influence and mutual exchange, which manifest themselves not only on a gross physical level. And a few words, simple expressions and good relations people in need can often have a far more beneficial impact than the dollars we can put in their hands.

Spiritual practices such as mantra recitation and prayer can help prepare us for our greatest service to humanity and the planet. However, our motivation should never be based on the desire to improve our material well-being or gain physical or spiritual superiority over others. We must constantly ask ourselves, how can I improve myself and grow in my own eyes so that I can share my success with others? This kind of mood, accompanied by humility and compassion, can make us conduits of higher energies.

The Art of Self-Renewal

If we want to serve others based on compassion, we must learn the art of self-renewal. Each of us has a need for care because we have certain daily responsibilities. Some people in certain professions, such as social workers, nurses and doctors, can be extremely indifferent and insensitive to their clients because they try to help others without taking any time for themselves. Eventually, they become hostage to the lower energies emanating from the people they associate with, which causes them to be deaf to the suffering of others and evil in nature.

We can improve our condition with the help of prayer, a certain diet, or simply by getting away from the all-consuming everyday life, taking time to communicate with spirituality, which purifies our consciousness. Prayer or repetition of a mantra can be of great help. Many traditions involve the use of rosaries for this purpose. A person practicing spiritual life repeats his prayer on this rosary, saying: “Dear Lord, it so happens that I have distanced myself from You, please support me, let me be useful to You again.” Such a prayer will help people distance themselves from the multitude negative energies that surround them while working or on the street.

Imagine how you would look at the world if you could see people's thoughts that torment them in everyday life. Imagine yourself walking along the streets of the city. You have to get from home to work by bus every day. Now imagine the anger of one of the bus passengers. The damage he will do with his anger will be as strong as if he threw a stone at you. At the same time, one of those present will be afraid, another will be worried, someone else will be jealous of something. Everyone will exhibit very different reactions to the same situation. You are on a bus with 15 other people on it, and you are all being attacked by a person throwing stones at you. It's not hard to imagine that you will leave this bus traumatized. The physical body may not feel it, but your subtle body will be abused. And you will carry all these wounds to your home.

Prayer, the repetition of sacred mantras, will allow you to heal these wounds and restore resistance so that you can protect yourself from these violent acts against our consciousness. This is why many traditions emphasize the importance of invoking the names of God. Even in worldly life, when we call on someone's name, we invite this person, we want him to notice us, to come to us. In the same way, when we call on the name of God, we hope for His participation. Chanting the holy names can be a powerful practice that invokes the loving protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may also be the only way to become truly compassionate.

Question answer

Question: What happens when people reach this level selfless love that they sincerely desire to take the place of those who suffer? Can they really do this, and what happens to them if they do?
Answer: People with this level of consciousness and selfless love are willing to sacrifice themselves for the liberation of others, even if this means taking on the burden of responsibility for their actions. If there is no other way to help, then we must share our love and spiritual energy with the one we want to help. God will intervene and take part in the life of a person who lives and thinks in this way. However, the problem is that we usually try to control, manipulate or dominate other people. As a result, we continue to experience all these types of suffering. Spiritual awareness– this is not something superficial, this is not a state that we can achieve under the influence external factors. It is something that lies dormant within each of us. Our outer experiences are designed to help us develop faith and realize what we already possess. Our consciousness is simply clouded by countless superficial problems. And having become victims of madness, we try to escape from this state of consciousness, which is favorable for us.

Question: My mother suffers from senile dementia, similar to Alzheimer's disease. Her mental condition worsening, but from a physical point of view she feels quite normal. I assumed that was her karma. Am I right? A friend of mine recently asked me why I spend more and more time on her.
Answer: It is important to try to heal not only others, but also yourself. Some people become healers because they have the ability to manipulate special energy that can heal other people. They allow the Lord to use them as instruments in His hands. In reality, we all have the gift of healing because we can always help others raise their level of consciousness. The state of human consciousness is the cause of any disease. We can help others learn to live better, free from illness, and use illness as a means to gain an even deeper understanding of their being. We can show sick people how to avoid depression and feelings of illness. To become a healer, it is not necessary to lay hands on someone, pray from a distance and engage in some kind of metaphysical activity. You can simply help people improve their character or relieve them of some suffering. In reality, this is nothing more than a regular visit and a few kind words. If you are the bearer of the highest spiritual energy, you will automatically lift the spirit of a person with your inner radiance. You can talk to your mother or read some scripture to her. Even if her mind is unable to understand the words, her soul will certainly benefit. If you can connect with her on a spiritual level, she in turn will be able to accept whatever you have to offer her. Unfortunately, sometimes nurses and doctors subtly upset people or even kill their desire to live by making various kinds of remarks and comments that they are not able to understand or hear anything. People under anesthesia or in a comatose state can still perceive our words on a subtle level.

While in a state of anesthesia, despite the fact that the body is still asleep, a certain part of our consciousness remains active and remains extremely susceptible to everything that happens around us. In such circumstances negative comments about the patient’s future can play a destructive role, because even in an unconscious state the patient will perceive this information as an irrefutable truth. Anyone who once heard such words may fall into depression and feel that the ground is disappearing from under his feet. That is why people whose profession involves caring for others must be extremely careful and careful. Only in this way will they become conductors of higher energies. They should only talk about positive things, with love and compassion. This way they can help their patients get better. On the other hand, if they are inattentive, then they simply destroy any hope of recovery.

Question: Many spiritual organizations talk about the benefits of a communal way of life on earth. Many of them encourage people to buy land and organize self-sustaining farms far from all dangers and problems, inherent in life in cities. Is this an act of compassion? If we are trying to save ourselves, how can we be of service to others?
Answer: First of all, understand that these people and organizations, leaving cities to save themselves, are playing their destructive role in the process of general degradation. This is not showing compassion. Everything that happens on this planet is under control. People are influenced by different energies, depending on their state of consciousness. Those who try to withdraw from what is happening simply for the sake of self-protection are already trapped in selfishness, and they will spread this mentality everywhere because their consciousness will not change.

People say city life is unnatural. Factories, pollution environment, comfortable living conditions, multi-story buildings - all this is extremely unnatural and contradicts the normal way of life. In cities, people have practically no opportunity to grow anything. They are dependent on supermarkets and supply chains that provide them with poor quality food; depend on elevators, cars, trains and many other things that remove them from natural life. Therefore life on earth where we are to a greater extent relying on it and nature is considered much healthier. In such an environment we can feel closer contact with higher energies because nothing interferes with us.

Although many people leave cities simply to save themselves, there are also those who do not have any selfish motives. Such people or groups of people are trying to demonstrate to others the possibility of a self-sufficient life on earth. They make efforts to put into practice the motto “simple living, high thinking.” Such communities occupy an exalted position which provides them with divine protection.

Remember that many souls may face death if the period of purification begins on earth. This process is about consciousness and many souls will have to go to the waste bin. Many other souls will be able to stay here to help create a kind of heaven on earth. In fact, many souls came to this planet to complete the evolutionary cycle of their development and go to higher worlds. What happens to each of us depends on our consciousness. God never leaves us alone. There are always His companions next to us who are ready to help us.

If we live on earth, under certain circumstances, elevated living beings may be attracted by the prospect of taking birth among us. If we spend our lives in such conditions, we will be able to have a clearer idea of ​​their existence. This is why it is so important to develop some connection with nature and at least sometimes live outside the city. In the natural conditions of life on earth, we are more likely to gain a sense of control over our own destiny and experience many unusual, but extremely necessary sensations for us. We can learn to express ourselves spirituality and, as a result, feel able to help others. Such living conditions offer us the opportunity to strengthen our desire to have compassion for others.

Compassion is one of the best qualities human nature. It allows you to see the pain of those around you and not remain indifferent. Since childhood, parents have been trying to explain to us why it is important to have compassion for another person. Let's figure out what this quality means.

Concept

Compassion is an emotional feeling we show towards another living being. It doesn't have to be. We can have compassion for a stray cat or dog, wild animals, birds and even insects. In this way, we try to understand the misfortune of another and become closer to him.

Compassion is the empathy and pity that a person feels towards someone who finds himself in difficult living conditions. It can be expressed in the form of moral support or in the form of providing real assistance.

How to express

Each person shows compassion in their own way. selectively and directly depends on our attitude towards certain people or animals. A person is touched by the pain of a creature he cares about.

For our psyche, compassion is a heavy burden. Seeing someone's misfortune, we begin to worry and get upset. Sometimes the mood can turn sour for a long time, which will bring a person out of his usual state. Particularly impressionable natures, experiencing compassion, fall into depression.

It is not always necessary to give vent to emotions. Why? It is important to have compassion for others, but at the same time we should not forget about our own peace of mind. There are many misfortunes happening in our world every day. However, it is worth remembering the joyful moments that help you live with hope for the best.

What are the benefits of compassion

People who know how to empathize are much richer spiritually than those who remain indifferent to the problems of others. A person who experiences such emotions gradually increases their self-esteem, which affects their mood. This is why it is important to have compassion for others.

The experiences that a person experiences at the sight of misfortune push him to think about the cause of the misfortune and search for a way out of the difficult situation. compassion allows you to develop the instinct of self-preservation, which will protect a person. They try to do everything to prevent such misfortune from happening in their lives.

Why is it important to be compassionate to others?

A person who experiences misfortune needs support. Very often people say that they are strong and can cope with problems on their own. On the one hand, such a position helps to build character. However, the participation of an outsider helps the unfortunate person develop the strength necessary to overcome life’s troubles. Your mood lifts when you realize that you are not alone, your problem touches those around you, which means it will be easier to cope with it.

It’s not for nothing that they say that if you cry into your vest, your soul will become easier. Why? It is important to have compassion for others so that the emotional stress that a person experiences when experiencing difficulties finds a way out. Talking with someone about your troubles and problems helps not only to relieve the burden from your soul, but also to analyze the situation yourself and try to find a way out.

How to be compassionate

Sympathy may not always benefit the person to whom it is directed. Excessive compassion too often can cause some to feel sorry for themselves when the world seems unfair. And this can lead to resignation to difficulties and an unwillingness to overcome them. This way you will only do harm. This is why it is important to be able to sympathize with others in a way that has a positive outcome.

When showing a person your participation in his problems, you need to let him speak out and try to understand the cause of his trouble. If you think the situation can be resolved, help with advice. It is worth remembering that a specific action in many cases stronger than words. It will be great if you can really help someone in need.

When you realize that you are powerless to change anything, try to reassure the person. You need to set him up to think that everything will work out for him, and he will cope with everything.

Charity

The ability to compassion is highly valued among people. A person who is ready and able to help is respected in society. Concerned citizens organize special charitable foundations. People donate to them voluntarily and free of charge. cash, items of clothing, food, books, toys, medicines or other things that those in need may need.

Charity in Lately Celebrities are increasingly involved. With their own money they help sick children, the elderly, and people left homeless. Undoubtedly, such activity deserves the highest praise.

The modern world is filled with turmoil and lack of time. Indifference is becoming more and more common. This is why it is important to be able to have compassion for others. Support in Hard time, which comes from a stranger, can greatly change a person’s life for the better and make him more resilient.

Greetings, dear readers and guests of my blog! Today I want to talk to you about such an important human quality as compassion, his examples and distinctive features. This is one of the highest qualities of a person, only on one condition: that it is true and not false. It is sometimes confused with worldly charity, or pity; I will tell you how they differ a little later. Therefore, read the article to the end.

IN explanatory dictionaries you can find a definition that this is pity for someone else’s grief, shared suffering. This topic, of course, can be discussed for a long time, but I believe that this definition fundamentally wrong.

Compassion is a person's ability to feel the emotions and experiences of other people. It is the light that comes from one person and softens or even heals the pain of another.

Compassion has its own components, without which it cannot be complete. These are kindness, mercy, love, respect and patience.

Let's look at each component in more detail.

Mercy

This two-root word literally means “sweet heart.” What does mercy mean? First of all - selfless help. For example, helping an elderly person carry bags, feeding a hungry person street dog, just listen to someone. Secondly, mercy is the ability to forgive.

Kindness

This is a caring attitude towards people and the world as a whole. Kindness is not always obvious; sometimes it is not easy to see.

Let me give you two parents as an example. Father feeds generously little son sweets, cakes and other sweets that he asks for. But his mother, on the contrary, does not allow him to indulge in sweets. Of course, in the child’s opinion, dad is kinder in this situation. But is this really so? Sometimes what is taken for kindness is simply an inability to refuse, simple conformity. Of course, in in this case real kindness and care is shown by the mother, although it is hidden behind external severity.

Love

A lot has been said and written about love, because it is such a broad and comprehensive concept that one can talk about endlessly. But now we will look at love as a component of compassion.

Of course, it is much easier to empathize with your loved ones, because the emotions of kindred spirits resonate at the same frequency. What to do with strangers or how to show compassion to the enemy? In order to learn to love and feel everything the world and its inhabitants, it is necessary to improve and develop their spiritual qualities.

Respect

The object of compassion must be treated with respect. Even if it is a small earthworm, it is the same creature of nature needed by this world. Without proper respect and understanding, compassion turns into pity and humiliates the one to whom this feeling is manifested.

Patience

When you do something, it happens that they are not appreciated. Patience in this case will be an indicator of sincerity.

Showing compassion and empathy

Let's look at some examples of how compassion manifests itself. Let's start with the most common one.

Worldly charity

Charity is now in fashion among famous, rich people. I have nothing against this fashion, quite the contrary, perhaps it is the best of all existing ones and I support it. Only such good deeds done for selfish reasons (the pursuit of fashion trends, the desire to look better in the eyes of others, fame, recognition) cannot be called sincere compassion. It will not be able to cleanse the soul and fill it with light.

Very rare individuals do not flaunt their good deeds. If a person is driven by such selfish motives, then let’s say if they were not justified, if they did not glorify him properly, then it is unclear whether he would have committed such a charitable act.

True Compassion

True compassion comes from the depths of the heart, it inspires a person to good deeds without demanding anything in return.

Sh.B.3.3.21

tikshavah karunikah

suhrdah sarva-dehinam

ajata-shatravah santah

sadhavah sadhu-bhushanah

The sadhu is patient and merciful and is the friend of all living beings. He has no enemies, is peaceful, strictly follows the injunctions of the sastras and is endowed with all virtues.

Sadhu - deep spiritual person, who has dedicated his life to God, strives to give knowledge to others. And all the qualities of compassion, according to this verse, are fully manifested in him.

He is patient and merciful. He develops friendship for all living beings - this means that he treats people and animals equally mercifully. Each Living being has the right to live in this world. Such a person does not harbor enmity towards anyone, even if someone is hostile towards her. While performing good deeds, the sadhu is patient, since often people do not appreciate his actions. The true task of such a person is to save the souls of others, and not just the body. As one of the proverbs says: “What is the point of saving the clothes of a drowning man if you need to save him himself.”

Therefore, true compassion can only be fully experienced by highly spiritual individuals who are willing to sacrifice everything in order to give true knowledge and happiness to others. To bring other people closer to God, to give them the opportunity for spiritual progress.

It happens that a person wants to show his compassion, but as soon as his comfort zone is touched, all good intentions disappear. The conclusion in such a situation is obvious.

Video - a story from ancient Vedic scriptures about compassion

Compassion for children and animals

Many people find it much easier to feel compassion for children and animals because their souls are pure and innocent. Unfortunately, it is impossible to help all the sick and homeless, but still we can do a lot.

For example, you can refuse to eat meat, in this way you will show mercy and save several innocent animals. One social organization I calculated approximately how much meat a person eats in his life: more than 1000 chickens, a dozen pigs and cows. I started 12 years ago, thereby saving more than a hundred animals.

Compassion for other people

Many people have problems with compassion and empathy for their own kind. Projection comes to the fore, and unpleasant thoughts and arguments enter the head: “Why should I help someone, I have enough problems myself,” etc.

A fair summary of this story is that the well-fed do not understand the hungry.

How to develop and shape compassion

To begin with, I will try to explain why you need to develop compassion in yourself.

Compassion makes our heart wider, but selfishness, on the contrary, narrows it.

When we have a “big” heart, then we have a good relationship those around us, we feel healthy and complete. And gradually our consciousness approaches God

As a result of selfishness, the heart narrows, illnesses and misfortunes come.

Our modern civilization ties a knot in the heart, if you look at everyone, they are all tortured and unhappy.

People without this quality exhibit callousness and cruelty. Such a soul cannot be entered sincere feelings- neither joy nor love. When we empathize with others, our soul is purified and becomes more receptive to peace and spiritual knowledge.

As I already said, it’s easier to sympathize with someone else’s grief when you’ve experienced a similar unpleasant event in your own skin.

The main key to developing compassion lies in spiritual self-improvement.

One of the barriers to compassion is self-centeredness. People are too fixated on their “I” and thoughts about their own good. Try to practice empathy at least once a day. Look at some person and ask yourself the question “What would I feel in his place?” It's best to do this during conflict situation, thereby you will complete 3 missions at once:

1. take your mind off your own negative feelings;
2. practice empathy;
3. mitigate the conflict.

The difference between pity and compassion

Now I will tell you the difference between pity and true compassion. There is a significant difference between these concepts. Pity is a destructive and destructive feeling, and compassion is bright and creative. Pity is inaction, while compassion provides help. Pity comes from the mind, and compassion from the heart.

Let's analyze these statements using an example. Imagine a seriously ill person. Relatives are sitting next to him, crying and feeling sorry for him. They already doom the patient and give him an internal message that he will not be able to cope with difficulties. Thus, they drive a person into an even greater abyss of misfortune, and he gives up.

Compassion carries creative energy and good spirits. A person who truly demonstrates this quality will not remain idle; he will provide all possible assistance and look for optimal ways out of the situation. Such people emanate vibrations filled with light and love, which in themselves have a beneficial effect on those around them and give them the strength to overcome difficulties.