Tag: Compassion
The War on What, Exactly: “Christmas”, Starbucks, Doctor Who, and Ombre-Is-The-New-Red
Every early-November, a lovely woman I used to work with would come in to the office, hands cupped joyously—reverently almost—around a tall vanilla latte in a bright red container, serene smile on... Read More
Family, Like Faith, Is What You Make It
I have launched a campaign to have all of my loved ones move to New York City. Ideally, they’ll all move to Queens (one of the most diverse counties in the country!), but I’ll take any borough rea... Read More
Compassion: Not Just For Saints Any More
Compassion is an emotion—a response to the suffering of others and an accompanying desire to eliminate or minimize such suffering, or, at least, to make it more bearable. Compassion is hard, but bei... Read More
In Another Gilgul: Forgiveness, the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, and Bedtime
Every night before we go to sleep, Jewish liturgy offers us the opportunity to forgive. The Bedtime Shema begins: “Master of the universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized me or wh... Read More
We Are All of Us Soft Animals: Ruminations on Compassion
You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. “Wild G... Read More
Blessed are the Compassionate: The value of co-suffering in Mahayana Buddhism and Liberation Theology.
No island or castle can hide us from the reality of suffering, including sickness and death. That was true for Gautama Buddha over 2,500 years ago and it is true today. When we pay attention, we reali... Read More
Seeds of Compassion: The Bodhi Tree, Ramadan, and Survival of the Kindest.
Earlier this month, while many people around the world were celebrating the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the man whose immeasurable compassion has touched the world, a few were planting bo... Read More
The power of compassion: Do Not Kill Buddha, Thou would bury the dead. Burma, Boston, and Tsarnaev.
“If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him.” This phrase may sound shocking, considering the Buddha’s teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path that talks about “right” (in harmony wi... Read More