The Buddha began his path to awakening after observing -- for the first time -- sickness, aging, and death. Though he had been confined to his palace as a young prince, his first venture out exposed him to the realities of the human condition, after which he devoted his life to understanding and alleviating this suffering. The first Noble Truth of Buddhism is in fact that life contains dukkha, or suffering.
Depending on where you live in India right now, you may very well witness the same sort of suffering. And though other countries are having some success in stemming the COVID tide, our fates are dangerously interconnected to the worldwide spread of the virus and emergence of variants. We’re not completely safe until everyone is safe; COVID is doing a fantastic job of showing us that in terms of suffering, there is no “us” and “them.”
And suffering is not simply a physical ailment. Ask anyone with anxiety or depression. I wonder what the Buddha would have thought of the state of high school students today, or the fact that onset of mental illness peaks between the ages of 15 and 25.
And finally, there are the indignities and injustices faced by marginalized groups -- the daily reminder that you don’t belong, or worse, the danger you encounter because of the hatred or delusion of others. In a way, what is racism or sexism or homophobia or xenophobia, if not suffering exploding outward into the world. They’re certainly not born of love or compassion.
Instead, it is suffering doing what suffering does best -- inflicting others with the same sense of inadequacy or anger or greed that infects the person spreading it.
Without awareness of this process, suffering magnifies itself. Understanding this process and watching it unfold with awareness acts as a sort of vaccine; mindful awareness won’t make it right, but it can stop the spread.
The prefix of dukkha (du) means “bad, difficult, and inclining toward illness or harm.” We’ve got a lot of illness in the world, both physical and emotional. And we’ve got a lot of harm born from prejudice.
The Buddha posited an Eightfold Path as the way out of suffering. Presuming that you’re not planning to spend years devoted to this path, maybe we could just start with compassion.
Compassion -- especially now, in this time of upheaval -- is not just a softness of heart. It’s a call to action -- courageous action with moral conviction. There is an entire world out there that needs our compassion, that will grow stronger and healthier with it. And when our actions are guided by it, we can be assured that we are acting wisely.
If compassion is the desire to alleviate suffering in others, and if the well-being of others is inextricably linked to our own, then compassion is not simply an altruistic act. And it’s not just for princely buddhas. It may just be the core of our own awakening. As the Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Let’s start by cultivating some of that compassion with this guided meditation, growing the strength you need to act in the way you see fit.
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