COMPASSION

     Dalai Lama is in the Twin Cities for a few days. The New Moon in Pisces is also the start of the Tibetan new year, and he is celebrating with the big community of Tibetans who live here. I will not get to see him, and honestly I cannot even feel his energy. But just thinking about him centers me and reminds me of what he teaches as he travels around the world. Asked what is the heart of his message, he usually says: "COMPASSION". If asked to explain or clarify that, he puts it even more simply: "KINDNESS". Be kind to each other. We are all the same. We all want to be happy.
     We are not all the Dalai Lama, but we are the same. How are you teaching compassion and kindness in your life? Are you returning phone calls or emails promptly? Are you forgiving the driver who cuts in front of your car on the freeway? Do you try to open your heart to the political radical whose views you hate? Do you have compassion for your own flaws, your own ego, your own past?
     I have been shaped and expanded by some of the great buddhist teachings since I first discovered Zen in 1966, way back in the flow of time. I met Tibetan teachers in the 70's and finally the Dalai Lama in the '80's and '90's. Always, it was easy to blend the ideas of meditation, mindfulness, compassion and simplicity, with the normal healthy sane functioning of my life. You don't have to be "a buddhist" to open your heart to what is right in front of you,
and to be kind to yourself and everyone you know.