buddhist-psychology

Awakening self-compassion is often the greatest challenge people face on the spiritual path.

Every living thing is sacred to me. Compassion and love can heal this world, which is set on fire of violence and hatred. I will teach the world about compassion, and end the suffering by halting these floods of sorrow. Said Prince Siddhartha and began his journey of saving the man kind._ ,

Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen. There__ less identification with the self in the story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing what__ happening. You become more able to abide in compassion, to remember and trust your true home. Rather than cycling repetitively through old conditioning, you are actually spiraling toward freedom.

The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you__hen there__ a loss that will alter your life forever__ou can still trust that you will find your way home. This is possible because you__e touched the timeless love and awareness that are intrinsic to who you are.

I recently read in the book My Stroke of Insight by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor that the natural life span of an emotion__he average time it takes for it to move through the nervous system and body__s only a minute and a half. After that we need thoughts to keep the emotion rolling. So if we wonder why we lock into painful emotional states like anxiety, depression, or rage, we need look no further than our own endless stream of inner dialogue.