Training in Compassion 1: Maintain Awareness of the Basics

Drawing on Norman Fisher’s “Training in Compassion,” and the ancient Tibetan practice of Lojong, each week, I offer a slogan to train with in our quest to become more compassionate. The invitation is to take these slogans to heart – repeat them to yourself – and they will gradually seep into you and guide you to greater levels of compassion and wisdom.

This week’s slogan to live by is: Remember the four basics. And what are the four basics?

1. The rarity and preciousness of human life. As life on this planet goes, even with 8 billion of us, we are rare compared with, say, ants and many insects. You would have to pick over trillions upon trillions of living creatures before you would find one that was human. And this calculation only involves the planet Earth, this tiny water-and soil-laced planet spinning around a small star within a vast universe.

2. The inevitability of death. The situation is urgent. We have less time left than we have thought, and we have no idea when our lives will end, so it is important that right now we turn our attention to what really matters, that we don't waste time.

3. The awesome and indelible power of our actions. We may never know the measure of all the consequences of what we do, but every moment so far in our lives, we have been affecting the world in some subtle yet real way; every moment, we have been participating in creating the world that now exists for ourselves and others. Everything in our lives is important. Everything matters. There are no trivial throwaway moments.

4. The inescapability of suffering. Even a happy life includes suffering and sorrow: disappointment, pain, illness, aging, broken relationships, afflictive emotions, like jealousy, grief, anger, hatred, confusion, anguish -- all kinds of emotions that cause suffering. How, then, can we not prepare our minds and hearts for the inevitable suffering that we are going to be facing? How can we not take our lives in hand and make a serious effort to develop wisdom, compassion, and resilience?

So that’s this week’s slogan to live by: Remember the basics: the rarity and preciousness of human life, the inevitability of death, the power of our actions, and the inescapability of suffering.

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More detail on this spiritual practice is in this longer version here.