How can we know that life isn’t just a dream?

Five year old Evie had a great question for the illusionist Derren Brown: ‘How can we be sure that life isn’t just a dream?’ Brown’s reply is fantastic: ‘Often we have dreams and they feel so real that we might wonder whether we’re dreaming right now too. It feels like you’re wide awake now, but doesn’t it feel like you’re wide awake in dreams too? How on earth can you tell the difference….Well, at least you know you’re probably real?  Because even if you were having a dream right now there would have to be a you somewhere who was having that dream about yourself…we only ever really know about the stuff we see and hear and feel …so even though you’re probably not dreaming, it’s worth remembering that you’re only aware of a small part of what’s real too. ‘Grand Philosophy condensed into a tiny capsule! Amazing…

Excerpt from: ‘Does my Goldfish know who I am? Scientists and Writers Answer  Little Kids’ Big Questions about how Life Works.’

Artist: Nino Chakvetadze

Pic re shared courtesy: www.facebook.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement:Compassion as a universal ethic

Compassion is a core value in almost all major religions. Regardless of whether we’re atheists or believers, a commitment to human decency and compassion is critical to our survival as a species. And what do we mean by ‘humanity’ anyway? It’s just you and me! Please share your views on compassion. Is it possible to be spiritual without being kind? Does sincere scholarship, a faithful following of rituals, a conscientious reading of scriptures make compassion redundant? I don’t think so! To quote Rumi: “With life as short as a half taken breath, don’t plant anything but love.”

 Rumi has a word of advice: 

"In generosity and helping others, be like the river,
In compassion and grace be like the sun."

Pc re shared courtesy: ‘Paw, paw, paw,’ www.facebook.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement: The Barber’s Song

The Buddha was all heart. His compassion embraced everyone who crossed his path including the infamous Angulimala who terrorized the citizens of the kingdom. Swami Vivekananda has done a sublime translation of a gem from the ‘Dhammapada,’ ‘The Barber’s Song.’

Ref: Sr. Nivedita; The Master As I saw Him

Pic re shared courtesy: bodhipress.wordpress.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement: Compassion heals violence and suffering

Zen master Thich Naht Hahn lived through the horrors of the Vietnam War. His compassion is rooted in the suffering caused by war: ‘In my morning coffee there is a drop of blood…let me weep through your eyes//because I no longer have eyes.//Let me walk on your feet, //because I have no feet.//With my hands/I am touching your nightmare….(‘Mudra’)  Can such deep wounds be healed? Yes, says Thay; “Compassion springs from the heart, as pure, refreshing water, healing the wounds of life.” It’s been said that God is a verb. All things big and small are made up of love and light.  The rain falls through our hearts and dissolves the crumbling ruins of our universal dark night of the soul. It restores us to life.

Ref: Thich Naht Hahn; ‘Mudra,’ call me by my true names

Artist: Pablo Picasso

Pic re shared courtesy: www.wallsave.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement:A four point plan to heal the world and make it a better place

The Dalai Lama has come up with a 4 point plan to increase love and compassion in the world:

1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering that we all want the same things (to be happy, to be loved) and we are all connected to one another.

2. Spend 5 minutes - breathing in – cherishing yourself, and breathing out – cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.

3. During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the simplest person (clerks, attendants etc as well as the “important” people in your life, cherish the people you love and the people you dislike).

4. Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.

Ref: www.katikahesselink.net

Pic re shared courtesy: www.riverbankoftruth.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement: What is a compassionate city?

 

 

I can’t do better than let Karen Armstrong describe compassionate cities and communities in her own emotionally charged words:

“A compassionate city is an uncomfortable city. A city that is uncomfortable when anyone is homeless or hungry. Uncomfortable if every child isn’t loved and given rich opportunities to grow and thrive. Uncomfortable when as a community we don’t treat our neighbors as we would wish to be treated.”

Ref: https://charterforcompassion.org

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Compassion as a radical 21st century movement:The Golden Rule - Compassion

Karen Armstrong, who won the 2008 Ted prize and dreamed up the Charter for Compassion, sums up  the golden rule of compassion: “Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain and then refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.” The Charter for Compassion has grown into a movement for compassionate communities and cities across the globe. We are one world. We behave as if we’re separate, autonomous entities.  Our affection and concern is limited to a small circle of family, friends and ‘others.’  This is our mental and emotional prison, our ‘Maya jaal.’ Loving our children and families is right and natural but we need to broaden our circle of sympathy and open our hearts to the broader community. We need to make the 21st century a century of   dialogue and peace.

(https://www.charterforcompassion.org)

Pic re shared courtesy: www.etsy.com

Compassion as a radical 21st Century Movement

Linking compassion with radicalism sounds odd. But we live in a world where violence is used to settle conflicts. Rampant exploitation has destroyed freedom and justice in many parts of the world.  Hunger, poverty, suppression of the weak, gender inequality, child abuse, racial profiling and mindless destruction of natural resources are commonplace….greed; fear and narcissism rule the roost. And what are the values we are committed to in our day to day lives? Do we feel anything when we see children in rags wandering the streets because they have no homes? Do we suffer with our neighbors? Can we empathize with a young girl who has been raped or violated? Are we consistently altruistic?  If the answer to these questions is a ‘No,’ we lack compassion. The word ‘compassion’ derives from the Latin ‘patiri’ and the Greek ‘pathein’ meaning “to suffer with” another person, to empathize, become one with another’s experience.  Compassion is essential for our survival and sanity.

Artist: Berkeley, age 10.

Pic re shared courtesy: www.wikimedia.com

Linking compassion with radicalism sounds odd. But we live in a world where violence is used to settle conflicts. Rampant exploitation has destroyed freedom and justice in many parts of the world.  Hunger, poverty, suppression of the weak, gender inequality, child abuse, racial profiling and mindless destruction of natural resources are commonplace….greed; fear and narcissism rule the roost. And what are the values we are committed to in our day to day lives? Do we feel anything when we see children in rags wandering the streets because they have no homes? Do we suffer with our neighbors? Can we empathize with a young girl who has been raped or violated? Are we consistently altruistic?  If the answer to these questions is a ‘No,’ we lack compassion. The word ‘compassion’ derives from the Latin ‘patiri’ and the Greek ‘pathein’ meaning “to suffer with” another person, to empathize, become one with another’s experience.  Compassion is essential for our survival and sanity.

Artist: Berkeley, age 10.

Pic re shared courtesy: www.wikimedia.com