num_pages: 160
description: Our lives are in constant flux which generates many predicaments. However when these are faced with a calm and clear mind supported by spiritual practice they can all be successfully resolved. By contrast when our minds are clouded by hatred selfishness jealousy and anger we not only lose control we lose our sense of judgment. At those wild moments anything can happen. Our own destructive emotions pollute our outlook making healthy living impossible. We need to cleanse our own internal perspective through the practice of wise compassion.When you are caught up in a destructive emotion you have lost one of your greatest assets: your independence. At least for the time being your mind is disturbed which weakens your capacity for sound judgment. In the grip of strong lust or hatred you forget to analyze whether an action is suitable and can even speak crazily and make wild gestures. Afterward when that emotion fades you often end up embarrassed and sorry for what you have done. This shows us that while you had fallen under the influence of that strong emotion your capacity to distinguish between good and bad between suitable and unsuitable was nowhere to be found.Although unfavorable conditions need to be removed when they are removed with hatred the means of relief creates its own problems because hatred distorted by its bias does not see the true situation. But unfavorable conditions can be removed through analysisby examining the facts and discerning the actual situationwithout any negative emotional side effects.Only human beings can judge and reason; we understand consequences and think in the long term. Human beings also can develop infinite love whereas animals have only limited forms of affection and love. However when humans become angry all this potential is lost. No enemy armed with mere weapons can undo these qualities but anger can. It is the destroyer. When animals act out of lust or hatred they do so temporarily or superficially; they are incapable of committing destruction in ever-increasing strength and variety. However humans can think from a great many points of view. Because our intelligence is so effective humans can achieve good and bad on a grand scale.When we look deeply into such things the blueprint for our actions can be found within the mind. Self-defeating attitudes arise not of their own accord but out of ignorance. Success too is found within ourselves. From self-discipline self-awareness and clear realization of the defects of anger and the positive effects of kindness come happiness and peace. For instance at present you may be a person who gets easily irritated. However with clear understanding and awareness your irritability first can be undermined and then replaced.If we allow love and compassion to be dominated by anger we will sacrifice the best part of our human intelligencewisdom which is our ability to decide between right and wrong. Along with selfishness anger is one of the most serious problems facing the world today. Anger plays a large role in current conflicts such as those in Asia the Middle East and Africa as well as those between highly industrialized and economically undeveloped nations. These conflicts arise from a failure to understand how much we have in common.Answers cannot be found in the development and use of greater military force nor can they be purely political or technological. The problems we face cannot be blamed upon one individual person or a single cause for they are the result of our own negligence. What is required is an emphasis on what we have in common. Hatred and fighting cannot bring happiness to anyone even to those who win. Violence always produces misery so it is fundamentally counterproductive.How can a world full of hatred and anger achieve real happiness? If we examine our long history of turmoil we see the obvious need to find a better way. Attempts by global powers to dominate one another through arms raceswhether nuclear chemical biological or conventionalare clearly counterproductive. The sale of weapons thousands and thousands of types of arms and ammunition by manufacturers in big countries fuels the violence but more dangerous than guns or bombs are hatred lack of compassion and lack of respect for the rights of others. External peace is impossible without inner peace. As long as hatred dwells in the human mind real peace is impossible. We can only solve our problems through truly peaceful meansnot just peaceful words but actions based on a peaceful mind and heart. This is the way we will come to live in a better world.On every level the most mischievous troublemakers we face are anger and egoism. The kind of egoism I refer to here is not just a sense of I but an exaggerated self-centeredness that leads to manipulating others. As long as anger dominates our disposition we have no chance of achieving lasting happiness. In order to achieve peace tranquility and real friendship we must minimize anger and cultivate kindness and a warm heart. As we become nicer human beings our neighbors friends parents spouses and children will experience less anger prompting them to become more warm-hearted compassionate and harmonious. The very atmosphere becomes happier which even promotes good health. This is the way to change the world.It is time for all of us including world leaders to learn to transcend differences of race culture and ideology in order to regard each other with appreciation for our common human situation. To do so would uplift individuals families communities nations and the world at large.Those countries that have achieved great material progress are beginning to understand that the condition of society and of our physical well-being is closely related to our state of mind. This is where profound change has to begin. Individually we have to work to change the basic perspectives on which our feelings depend. We can only do so through spiritual training by engaging in transformative practice with the aim of gradually reorienting the way we perceive others and ourselves.
language: English
title: How to Be Compassionate: a Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
publisher: Atria Books