2003-05-29 - 1:37 a.m.
The Law of Compassion is not arbitrary or conditional. We know that deeply troubled and destructive people do exist in this world, and that distrubed people tend to disturb others. Compassion doesn't mean letting people walk over you or continue their destructive behaviors; some individuals need to be separated from society. But one can have compassion for evil without succumbing to it. In battle, you can feel compassionate toward your adversaries even when fighting to the death. The battle with me is within. The battle is with food, the battle is with my body. It is my enemy. I hate it. Yet I have compassion and I love it just the same. It's not easy having an eating disorder. It's just me. My way of life.
Compassion isnt easy. Easy or not, the law of compassion directs you to act out of love and understanding rather than out of hatred or ignorance. To do so requires a leap to a larger perspective--to the realization that you live in a universe as just as it is mysterious. This depth of understanding flows from intuitive insight into the inherent intelligence of the universe. Whether you find such understanding through observation, reason, or religious faith, it reveals, finally, that in the natural world you have no friends, you have no enemies. You only have teachers.
The Law of Compassion presents a loving demand to transcend our limited perspectives. This can be overwhelming. But compassion starts with yourself. Be gentle and patient. We each have many thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative, that arise in the mind and heart. You dont have to be a saint, but instead of believing or resisting the negative thoughts, let compassion wash them away in a wave of love and understanding.
I need to forgive myself. And forgive others that I harbor anger towards. In that forgiveness I will find the compassion that heals the pain of being a human in this world. "To call forth such forgiveness when you need it, remember to imagine your friend, lover or adversary lying dead at your feet as you will one day lie at the feet of Spirit. Then you will see through different eyes, because death is the great equalizer. We are all going to depart this world and leave those we love. We all feel hope and dispair; we all share dreams and loss. We are all joined without knoing why, in the mystery of life, doing the best we can."
