Nature has a divine virtue of compassion hidden in it. It only gives and expects nothing in return. The sun gives light, heat and Pran. The moon cools, clouds give water. Plants and trees give food, aroma, medicines etc. These have developed themselves to such an extent that they want to make their lives useful for others. These have crossed that stage where they expect anything from you. These are not sacrificing anything. These are not absorbed with this thought of sacrifice. These are just living, developing themselves as well as giving. They are living with a divine feeling of compassion. These are always dancing in happiness.
Nature is a silent teacher. You can learn from it. You can also live in compassion. Compassion means bliss, peace and contentment. If you see the statue of Bhagwan Buddha, you will feel that he is still living in compassion. Bhagwan Buddha is synonymous with compassion.
Compassion cleanses your mind. It removes hatred, anger, jealousy and greed etc. Compassion keeps the mind calm. Today, when mental stress is a big problem, the virtue of compassion can protect you from innumerable psychosomatic diseases.
You can have this feeling of compassion. Everyone has had some physical, emotional, mental or spiritual sufferings at some time in his life and at that time, he wanted someone or something to help him. You can now become that person by giving something, either material or abstract. Recall your experience of sufferings and convert it into compassion. The more you recall your experience and the more you will want to help, the more you will want to give and the more compassionate you will become.
Some people have the heart that can feel the sufferings of grieved persons by just looking at them or listening to them. They can feel those sufferings so deeply that these become their own. Siddharth felt so deeply the sufferings of others that he became ‘Buddha’. Develop this quality of alleviating sufferings of others. The more you can feel, the more you can heal. If you can feel the sufferings of the entire world, the healing energy will be flowing from your existence itself all the time, as the sun is emitting light every moment.
Compassion is a state where thoughts of forgiveness arise. A compassionate person can never hurt anyone. It is full of love always. He forgives even his enemy. Absolute compassion has power to change the heart of even his enemy. Compassion is not a weakness in a person. It is also not powerless. Infact it is extremely powerful. It has the power to remove sufferings in general and to change the heart of even an arch enemy, if it is absolute.
Forgiveness always keeps your mind clean. It removes anger that is perhaps the worst enemy of a human being. It not only spoils and kills the body and mind, but also even kills the soul. Anger is darkness and compassion is light. When light comes and darkness goes, so it is with compassion and anger, when compassion arises, anger dissolves.
Compassion does not make you a coward. Rather it makes you bold and courageous. You stand up against violence. You stand up against your inner violence as well as external violence.
Develop this divine virtue to make yourself divine and let your divinity remove the sufferings of every creature, and show the path of love to those who have gone astray.
This article by Pavan Jain was published in his fortnightly column titled “Mind Mantra” in the Hindustan Times, Lucknow edition.