The greatest knowledge we have now about compassion suggests that what we feel for others is not necessarily our concern about what happens to them, but our mind association between them as the victim and ourselves. Even if it is a relatively trivial association, our compassion is greatly enhanced.
This shows us that the easiest ways to open our hearts is to look for commonalities against our friends and all beings. Instead of increasing the sense of separation we feel between ourselves and another saying “she is of a different ethnicity”, it is best to look to something that is common to both people.
Perhaps looking to the person for similar interests, or living conditions, or what we enjoy, or even the commonality of simply being human would be a more compassionate association. It doesn’t even require a religious adherence or practice!
When we learn to mentally re-categorize one another in terms of commonalities, this then generates greater empathy among all of us — and fosters social harmony in a fairly effortless way.
When we learn to recognise and truly know our own suffering, seeing through our “conceptual self”, this then is the true turning point to recognizing it in others and truly empathising, wishing them well, or helping them compassionately.
It is important to remember that the thought of compassion can be enough to heal, particularly in difficult situations that have been abusive or harmful in the past.
