Compassion: The Way Through Pain & Suffering

Welcome to the joyful journey podcast. If

you're uncertain about what you really want or unsure how to be

a force for good, you know this world craves, then this is the

show for you. I'm Anita Adams, your host and guide to finding

clarity and creating a life you love. Let's tap into our inner

wisdom, access our highest self and unleash joy. As we raise our

vibration, we heightened the collective consciousness and

that, my friends,

is the joyful journey. Let's dive in.

Hey, joyful journey or need to Adams here your host

of the joyful journey Podcast. Today, I want to talk about

compassion as the path through pain and suffering that leads to

joy. Please note that this episode ends with a short guided

meditation that will help deepen your compassion for yourself and

others. So either save listening to this episode to a time when

you can safely go into a meditation or put it on pause at

the appropriate point and come back to it later. All right.

Let's start with the

acknowledgement that joy is not the absence of sorrow. The two

can and do coexist. great sadness, pain, heartache. These

are no strangers to me, nor likely to you I suspect. Yet we

are still very capable of feeling great joy and

transcending our pain. I recently read a beautiful book

called The Book of joy, which was co authored by the Dalai

Lama and the recently deceased Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and it

has much to say on this topic of transcending pain and suffering.

In this book, which is full of delightful banter between these

two amazing human beings, the Dalai Lama suggests that the way

to heal your pain is by turning to the pain of others. The idea

is to take the focus off of oneself, and instead to

acknowledge the pain and suffering of other people. This,

of course, is acting with compassion. And according to the

Dalai Lama, when you stand in this place of compassion, you

not only ease the pain and suffering of others, you also

ease your own pain and suffering. But a beautiful idea

and one worth exploring further. When things go sideways in your

life. When you lose someone you love, or lose a job or get sick.

It's common to focus on your own pain. Of course it is. And it

makes perfect sense to do that. Give yourself permission to

grieve for your loss, and then begin to explore the edges of

compassion, by removing the focus from you, and looking to

ease the pain and suffering of others. I understand this is

easier said than done, particularly when your pain is

great. It can be done and has been done by many, some of the

world's greatest leaders, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr,

Nelson Mandela, to name just a few lead with deep compassion,

and we're no strangers to pain or suffering. I would argue to

be a great leader, whether you are leading a nation accompany a

family or yourself, you must lead with compassion. The Dalai

Lama says that by showing compassion and doing small acts

of kindness, you bring others joy, and in so doing, you feed

your own joy and ease your pain. he elaborates further, the more

we turn to others, he says, the more joy we experience, and the

more joy we experience, the more joy we can bring to others. He

calls this a virtuous cycle. Isn't that beautiful? Being more

joyful is not about the absence of pain or sorrow, nor is it

just about having more fun. It's about possessing a more

empathetic and spiritual state of mind. It's about being

present to the here and now acknowledging your own pain,

noticing the pain of others feeling compassion, and being

compassionate with yourself and others and being engaged in the

world. Not locking yourself away in your own pain. This is

something we are all capable of doing. And it doesn't take much

to bring a bit of joy to others and in turn to your self esteem

mile or a kind word is a beautiful place to start. Here

are a few other simple daily things you can do to deepen your

compassion and to ease your own pain. Reach out and connect with

others with the intent to listen. Remove the focus from

you and plant it firmly on others offer kind words of

support and encouragement. Be kind to everyone who crosses

your path. Find ways to help others even the little things

count, like holding a door open for a stranger. These seemingly

small acts of compassion will make beautiful ripples in your

world. They ease the pain of others, they'll ease your pain

and they will lead to greater joy in your life. Now I'd like

to share with you a guided meditation. It's a beautiful

practice that will help deepen your compassion for yourself and

others which in turn will bring more joy into your life. If

you're not in a safe place to listen to a meditation, then put

this recording on pause and come back to it later. All right,

let's begin. Find a comfortable seated position with your feet

on the ground and your hands in your lap. When you're ready,

close your eyes.

Inhale deeply through your nose and slowly exhale. Again, inhale

deeply and slowly exhale. Imagine a golden orb of light

above your head. This light is that divine light of compassion.

As you breathe deeply feel that light of compassion enter

through the crown of your head. Breathe long, slow, deep breaths

and feel that light move down your head, your neck into your

shoulders and chest. Take another deep breath and allow

that light of compassion to move into your arms. Fingers down

your torso into your belly. Another deep breaths as that

light slides over your buttock down your legs and into your

toes. Wiggle your toes. Your body is full of this warm light

of compassion. Take a deep breath. And this time as you

exhale expand your light of compassion to every living thing

in the room. Your partner, your pet the fly on the windowsill

see the globe of golden light expanding and radiating in this

room. Take another deep breath and as you exhale expand your

light of compassion to embrace your entire home and every

living creature under your roof. Another deep breath and expand

your light have compassion to your neighborhood. See the

golden light radiating over all the homes and the families

within. It's as if you are hovering in the sky watching the

golden light flow outward and expand from you to the neighbors

and the neighborhood below. Breathe in and exhale to expand

your light of compassion to your city. Watching that light flow

over all the homes, the parks the skyscrapers. Breathe deeply

and pull back further to see your light of compassion expand

across your country. Pull back again. Take another deep breath.

And as you exhale see your light of compassion and golf the

planet. Take a moment here with this world view. See your

beautiful golden light. Embrace the earth and notice how it

feels in your heart. Feel the expansion of love and compassion

for this place we call home. Hold on to that feeling as you

travel back. See your country, your city you your neighborhood,

your home, the room you're sitting in and see yourself

radiating this light of compassion. What a beautiful

being you are. Breathe in that love and compassion for

yourself. Breathe out that love and compassion for your world.

And when you are ready, open your eyes. Thank you for joining

me today my fellow joyful journeyer sending you much love

and compassion. We'll catch you next time