Think about compassion, especially for the people we tend to judge or feel threatened by or are afraid of — people who have harmed us, people whom we would usually put in the “enemy” category. Usually, when we think about those people, we think about our suffering and how they have caused us to suffer. What the Buddha asked us to experiment with, is to think of their suffering and to
change the focus from us to them. Instead of having the wrong conception, “They made me suffer,” we step out of ourselves and see their situation. When we focus on their suffering, that they too are caught in the net of samsara, automatically some compassion for them arises. When we wish for them to be free of suffering, our mind softens, along with our dislike, aversion, hatred, or anger.

“365 Gems of Wisdom” Volume One (January — March) e-book is out now!