It is not sufficient merely to see that sentient beings are suffering. You must also develop a sense of closeness with them, a sense that they are dear. With that combination— seeing that people suffer and thinking of them as dear— you can develop compassion. So, after meditatively transforming your attitude toward friends, enemies, and neutral persons such that you have gained progress in becoming even-minded toward all of them, the next step is to meditate on everyone as friends, to feel that they have been profoundly close.
--Jeffrey Hopkins
via tricycle
This is a challenging teaching, especially when thinking about people who are actively limiting the human rights of others, like Clarence Thomas and the other conservative Supreme Court judges. How can I stand up for equality by calling out fearful (and sometimes hateful) behavior without demonizing these people? Language is important, so I try to use the term "homophobic" to refer anti-gay behavior and resist the urge to call these people "homophobes," which tends to dehumanize them in the same way when they call us names. For me, these are subtle but important practices that are meant to reduce the suffering in the world, including that in my life. Like a martial artist, I want to clearly see and deflect these homophobic attacks, but use my life energy to move forward our society and the LGBT community. This is a tricky but worthwhile endeavor. --Joe
P.S. At the Phoenix airport, I am getting a chance to practice this lesson now as I sit next to an unfriendly grandmother who grimaced when I asked her to move her coat so I could have a seat. She now is reading a Glenn Beck book, and I am channeling as much compassion as I can muster to her and me...LOL
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