Problem-Solving Using Compassion and Wisdom

You can change any situation, even very traumatic or emotional situations by applying love, compassion and wisdom. You can apply these by considering what is presented in the following reflective or analytical meditation. Use it again and again as challenging situations arise in your life.

Start by relaxing, focusing on your breath and setting a motivation to benefit all concerned.

Next, focus on the person or people involved and recall the situation that has taken place as well as the emotional or mental reaction you are experiencing or experienced in the past.

To generate Compassion and Loving-Kindness:

1. Consider that each person in this situation does not want to suffer, and only wants happiness. Each is trying to achieve this in their own way, sometime skillful, sometimes not.
2. Consider that the person you may have an aversion to at this moment could become a stranger or friend at another time, very easily. The friend could become an enemy or stranger. The stranger could become either friend or enemy. Labeling them as such is temporary.
3. Feel how this situation is in your body and emotions and mind. How your response to it hurts you, how it hurts others involved. Feel the wish that this not have to happen like this. There could be another way to respond.
4. Imagine getting into the body and mind of another in that situation for a moment. Experience their suffering, confusion and pain. Their wish to be happy. Feel the wish that whatever is needed could happen so this person could be happier. From your experience from merging with them temporarily, decide if there is anything you can do to help this happen.

To generate Wisdom and Understanding:

1. Think that this situation is impermanent. It is changing moment by moment and cannot stay the same.
2. Think that this is just the result of certain causes and conditions. Contemplate what preceded this situation or what happened for this other person and/or you before this happened? Was someone unkind to that person, are they sick, etc. And what happened before that. Reflect on all the things that might have led up to the response in that situation for both yourself and others. Right from childhood, perhaps even before that.
3. What are some of the conditions that helped this to ripen this way? Other conditions? Conditions that could be changed and controlled next time? Determine if there is anything you can do to change those in the future.
4. Does this really exist the way it appears? How have you labeled this? What have you called it? It that really true? What is this situation dependent on? What are all the components, different parts that make up this situation as you have labeled it? How you see is it only your perspective but not necessarily how others see it. It is only dependent on how you perceive it and that will change and could change in an instant. Is it as solid, unchanging, independent and inherent as it appears? See it or that person or yourself in terms of the dependence on how it is viewed, the parts that make it up, and the causes and conditions that led to this result. It is interdependent. So what is really the problem? Does it really exist, as you perceive it?

Notice how the situation now appears to you.

Now combine this perception with your previous awareness of compassion and notice how this situation now feels as well. How you now feel about the people involved and yourself as well. Hopefully you will have softened and generated compassion and understanding first about yourself and also the others involved and the situation may appear very different from when you started this meditation.

Dedicate the positive energy of doing this to the healing and transformation of any problems any living beings may be having. By doing this may they realise compassion and wisdom and everlasting happiness.

If there is anything you can do about it, don’t worry. If there is nothing you can do about it, don’t worry.

Compassion and Wisdom CD.click here

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Problem-Solving Using Compassion and Wisdom