Buddhism For Today

The quality of Buddhism is tested
through compassion in our relationships.

How empathetic are we?

This is this age of conflict, and conflict requires people. Buddhism today is about compassion, or rather, the lack of it. Merely doing pujas, meditating and studying text does not cut through our concepts and emotions, which are usually about other people. Such rituals skirt around this issue, avoiding direct contact.

Dealing with others is practice at the coalface, the face-to-face catalyst accelerator. The testing ground of compassionate activity lies in our interaction with that which isn’t to our flavour. And that obliterates the yoga of one taste!

The reader may notice that the author is skeptical of so-called compassionate people who ostracise (give the cold shoulder to) dissenters. Westerners adopt beliefs, rituals and empowerments from other cultures, while remaining snippy; impatient, short-tempered or irritable with awkward customers 😀 This doesn’t say much for the mantra, OM MANI PEME HUM – the mantra of compassion – does it?

Thousands of years ago, practitioners sat in caves, practising in isolation so as not to be disturbed. Today, due to technology, most people are isolated, insular, ignorant of or disinterested in people outside their own experience – and we are, nonetheless, still disturbed.

We have lost genuine, non-dual caring in relation to others, giving preference to ideas that we’ve adopted about ‘bettering’ ourself.

For true compassion to happen, we have to be fearless and harmless without causing conflict, and have the skill to show concern for others in this age of depression. In the midst of someone’s ranting, if we can remain stable and compassionate, we have definitely found our path to enlightenment.

Once we understand our true reality, we will understand others.
If we do not understand our true reality, we will never understand others.

The Buddha’s teaching is timeless.
It was present even before the Buddha.

Re-ignite compassion, and enlighten.

Giving money is lazy.
Giving time is priceless.