Daily Connect: Everyday Compassion Day

The first annual Compassion Day is Friday, July 6th.  It's also His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 77th birthday.  Created by the FPMT (the Federation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition), an organization which is led by Lama Zopa and includes such teachers as Ven. Robina Courtin* and Khadro-La, Compassion Day was created to honor HHDL by encouraging everyone around the world to follow his example and practice kindness, patience, and friendliness towards all beings, if only for one day.

You can participate in three ways.  The first is to rejoice in the teachings and kindness of HHDL, by considering what you admire about him and perhaps making him a gift (of service, money, artwork, prayer).  The second is to actively cultivate lovingkindness.  The third is to meditate.

For Buddhists, every day is Compassion Day.  Through meditation, and practicing the paramitas (generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom), we strive to bring mindfulness and appropriate intentions to everything we say, do, or think.  Understanding that we live an interdependent  existence is knowing that we have a responsibility to be considerate and receptive to the struggles of everyone everywhere.   Living "in a vivid and precise field of causality with infinite other beings"** means that every action, however small and seemingly insignificant, matters.

PEACE TO EVERYONE EVERYWHERE!

*Ven. Robina returns to The Interdependence Project on September 19th!  More details soon!
**Ethan Nichtern, Founder and Senior Teacher of The Interdependence Project