Meditation and Compassion in Daily Life, How to Integrate...

Meditation and Compassion in Daily Life

The purpose of this site and of these posts is to help you to integrate meditation and compassion practices into your daily life. After all, what good is meditative awareness or compassionate intention if you’re not using it in your daily life, right?

When I write that we need to practice compassion in our daily lives, you may wonder how exactly to do this. After all, you’re probably a pretty compassionate person, so is there a need to do anymore than to simply be who you are? Read on…

(For your entertainment, there’s a really cool video, “What About Me“, at the end of this post. It’s related to what I’m writing about in this post. Check it out..after you’ve read the post, of course!)

What is Compassion?

Many people misunderstand the meaning of compassion. They think that it means that you have to give up your hopes and dreams, give it all away, and join the Peace Corps to serve starving children (that’s one of my favorite “run away from it all” fantasies). Or maybe real compassion is up to people like Mother Theresa and Gandhi but not you, right? Ain’t so!

At its most basic level, being compassionate means wishing for others the same happiness that you wish for yourself. It’s that simple! “Okay,” you say. But what does that mean?

Compassion Means Wishing for Others the Same Happiness that You Wish for Yourself

When you have a good cup of coffee, or are watching a great movie, how often do you think to yourself, “I wish that everyone else had this kind of pleasure.”? When you’re mind is moved to stillness by a beautiful sunset, or you’re in the middle of a passionate embrace with someone you love, do you take a moment to wish that others may have the same happiness and joy that you’re experiencing?

It’s amazing to me how easily we can get our minds out of a state of misery when we stop to reflect on the good things that we have in life and then wish for others these very same things.

There are always those who have more than we do, but there are also thousands…millions, who have things a lot worse than we do. When we’re in the middle of enjoying something in our life and we take just a moment to think about others, it helps us to feel gratitude and to turn our mind towards others’ happiness. And when we send out a little “wish” that may all people have what we have, it helps us to remember others as well.

Taking the Time to Practice Compassion Takes No Time!

Making the space within your mind to wish for happiness for others doesn’t take time away from your day. It’s not something that you have to “do.” It’s simply remembering that there are billions of people on this small planet and that they all want the same thing that you want, which is having happiness and its causes and being free from suffering and its causes.

Everyone wants the same thing; the homeless, billionaires, saints, sinners, cops and robbers. Your worst enemy wants the same thing that you want, happiness and freedom from suffering. The US Marine in Afghanistan wants happiness just as much as the Taliban fighter he’s hunting for.

Recognizing this “sameness in others” is the beginning to practicing compassion. And practicing compassion is simply taking the time when you’re experiencing happiness to wish the same for others.

Practicing Compassion Changes Your Mind

The most amazing thing about practicing is that as you find compassion for others in moments of personal joy, slowly and gradually your mind begins to change.

The more that you practice thinking of others, the more your attention begins to shift towards seeing others as being similar to you. And with this shift comes a new way of thinking about others.

When you begin to meditate, your mind may seem like it’s very out of control…even crazy. But because you meditate, you’ve got the methods to deal with your mind so that you don’t suffer as much, right? However, for the person who is suffering and doesn’t have the tools to to work with his or her mind, the suffering is endless.

Through the practice of meditation, inspired by compassion, you begin to understand that the suffering that you experience when you attempt to meditate is the same kind of mental suffering that others experience in their day-to-day lives. So when you’ve got it good, whether it’s during meditation or while enjoying a good meal, why not practice “sending out” thoughts of compassion to those who are less fortunate?

Practice Compassion in the Shower

There are some winter-days here in Boulder, Colorado, when the temperature can get pretty chilly. And it’s on those days that I think about the homeless population in this small town/city. Boulder is a small town but even so, there are some people here who can’t make it financially and end up homeless. And on cold days, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be homeless and in need of a shower.

Seriously, do you ever stop in the middle of a shower and reflect on the fact that many people in this world don’t have running water, no less a nice steamy shower? On a cold day with a hot shower (or a hot one with a cold shower) do you ever stop to wish that others can have what you have?

Ten Ways to Practice Compassion in Your Daily Life

Once we begin to understand this idea of compassion, the biggest obstacle to actually practicing it is remembering to do it. We forget that there are hundreds of times in our daily lives when we can turn our mind towards others’ suffering and away from our claustrophobic way of looking at life.

Here’s a short list of ways that you can begin to practice compassion today for others. It’s a reminder list, just a beginning point for your to work with. Once you begin to practice like this, you’ll find hundreds of other ways to practice compassion for others.

When You Wake Up. Establish a “compassionate motivation” the minute that you wake up, saying to yourself, “May I and everyone have a great day today, full of prosperity and success.” Simple…and a great way to begin a morning meditation as well!
Share the Shower. Well, not literally, but when you’re in the shower and you’re enjoying the feeling of the water, keep in mind all those who would love to be able to have the “luxury” of a shower. If it’s cold out, feel the warmth of the water on your body and wish that others who are cold may have the same pleasure. Or if it’s hot and you’re cooling down, wish the same for others who are suffering from the heat. With your mind present and focused, wish for the them the same pleasure that you’re experiencing as you shower.
When You Eat. I really believe that our unconsciousness around how and what we eat is one of the main reasons for weight and health problems. Imagine how much better you’d eat and feel if every time that you ate you did so slowly, remembering all those who are not as fortunate as you are and wishing for them the same food that you’re eating. I’ve written about eating as a way to practice meditation. Use it the same way as a reminder to practice compassion.
As You Enter Work. For many of us, we may not enjoy (or may even dread?!) our work. Instead of dreading going into work, as you’re about to enter your workplace, make an aspiration something like, “May my work today bring great benefit to others.” Then, whenever you pass someone in the hall or greet someone at work, give them a smile and wish for them a great day. It’s easy and it’s a great way to keep a positive attitude while in the workplace. It really helps!
When You See Someone Who Is Struggling. It’s our tendency to feel pity for others when we see them suffering, or to say something like, “Glad that’s not me” to ourselves when we see a homeless person. Imagine who much better we could feel about ourselves if we were to adopt a realization that that suffering person is someone just like us, someone who didn’t have the good luck that we’ve had in our lives, and that they need our compassion, not pity. Instead of turning our eyes away from them, meet their eyes with a wish in your heart and mind that they may find happiness and be free from their suffering.
When You See of Hear Bad News. Similar to the previous practice, what happens to you when you watch the news or read about bad things in the paper. Does your heart sink? Instead of feeling depressed, create a feeling of wishing that those whose suffering you’re reading about or watching, can be free from their suffering and find happiness.
When You’re Sick. Here’s the perfect opportunity to connect with others who are also suffering. Instead of thinking, “Oh, poor me, I’m suffering so much,” why not hold in your heart and mind the wish that may everyone who is suffering as you are be free from it and find happiness. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our own little drama, forgetting that there are others who are also suffering as we are. When we start focusing on others’ happiness, it helps us to get out of our own claustrophobic box.
When You Receive a Gift or Praise. We all love to get things, whether they’re gifts or praise for good work that we’ve done. The next time that you receive something, whether it’s a gift or kind word, spread it around by creating a wish in your mind that everyone could gain some benefit from your good fortune. Just imagine if you had enough to share your good fortune and gifts with everyone!
Throw a Coin in the Cup. Did you know that giving to others who are less fortunate can actually be good for your health? Seriously, when you give something to someone who has less, when you do so from a compassionate state of mind, it actually helps your immune system. So, stay healthy and drop a coin in the cup of someone who needs it.
And Finally, Do Good Deeds. No matter where you live or who you see during your daily activities, you can always do good deeds. A smile, a nod, or a kind word is the easiest way to bring compassion into your daily life. And, this isn’t about pretending either. Just smile at someone on the street! We think that being compassionate has to take a lot of effort, but simply acknowledging someone with a nod of your head or a smile might make their day.

There are many, many more ways to practice compassion and these are just a few of them. What you’ll find as you increase the frequency of your compassionate “moments,” just like with meditation, it will become easier and less of a conscious effort that you have to make. Eventually, being compassionate in all that you do will come naturally!

And now, just as I’d promised, here’s a cool video about changing your focus from “what about me” to “what about you.” Check it out:

This site has tons of tools for learning how to meditate and be compassionate.

I encourage you to look through the HUNDREDS of articles that I’ve written and especially check out my weekly meditation tips and other useful meditation materials provided for your health and well being. Please let me know if you’d like to discuss anything with me, have any questions or need clarification regarding anything that I’ve written about.

Other Great Meditation Resources and Information:

For More Information on How to Meditate

Please view the Related Stuff below for help getting started in your meditation practice! Also don’t forget to download my free e-book, Can Meditation Change the Way that You View Your World? and download the free e-book, How to Work with the Four Distractions to Meditation and get started learning how to deal with some of the major obstacles in meditation.