In the main article above titled "We We Care," we discussed discoveries about the process by which our brains create the feeling of concern for other people. The researchers have also looked at how we might be able to tinker with that internal system and boost our ability to care about others. For insights, scientists have turned to Tibetan Buddhist monks, who for centuries have been practicing meditation regimen specifically designed to make them more compassionate. If you want to give it a try, here are some simple tips, gleaned from meditation manuals.
1. Sit. Find a comfortable place where you can sit without distractions. Initially allot yourself 10 to 20 minutes, with the goal of eventually increasing the amount of time.
2. Breath. Use deep breathing to relax any tension that you feel in your muscles. Concentrate upon relaxing your abdominal muscles and shoulders.
3. Reflect. Once you begin to feel calm, reflect upon your own desire for happiness and freedom from suffering, and your desire to care about all beings.
4. Have a mantra. Slowly begin to repeat simple phrases that state your wishes, such as “May I respond with mercy and empathy to pain,” or “May I be filled with compassion.
Over time, you also should contemplate different levels of compassion. On the most basic level, you should think about problems and misfortunes that people experience, such as illness, hunger, and lack of shelter. Concentrate upon separating compassion—caring for others—from pity, which meditation expert Dusana Dorjee explains is a self-centered emotion that results from
shame and the desire to be seen as an altruistic person. Over time, you also should try to explore the second gradient of compassion, which involves concern for how other people suffer because of confusion and negative emotions. Finally, you may strive for the highest, “non-referential” form of compassion, which simply is an unconditional compassion for all beings, akin to the love that a mother feels for her child.
2. Breath. Use deep breathing to relax any tension that you feel in your muscles. Concentrate upon relaxing your abdominal muscles and shoulders.
3. Reflect. Once you begin to feel calm, reflect upon your own desire for happiness and freedom from suffering, and your desire to care about all beings.
4. Have a mantra. Slowly begin to repeat simple phrases that state your wishes, such as “May I respond with mercy and empathy to pain,” or “May I be filled with compassion.
Over time, you also should contemplate different levels of compassion. On the most basic level, you should think about problems and misfortunes that people experience, such as illness, hunger, and lack of shelter. Concentrate upon separating compassion—caring for others—from pity, which meditation expert Dusana Dorjee explains is a self-centered emotion that results from
shame and the desire to be seen as an altruistic person. Over time, you also should try to explore the second gradient of compassion, which involves concern for how other people suffer because of confusion and negative emotions. Finally, you may strive for the highest, “non-referential” form of compassion, which simply is an unconditional compassion for all beings, akin to the love that a mother feels for her child.
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