Tonight I was very fortunate to attend a retreat hosted by Sister Margaret. It was such a nice “scheduled” break in my day, and she really provided us with the opportunity to be still and reflect.
We were able to read and think about a lot of quotes relating to compassion, but this one kind of spoke to me. I think I liked it because it does not present compassion as some kind of “silent suffering”, but rather as loving action and a deep universal solidarity.
“Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, to act strongly, with all the skills at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion…is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception.”
Kate