Exercise 17

Compassion Exercise

Honesty with yourself leads to compassion for others.

Objective:
To increase the amount of compassion in the world.

Expected Result:
A personal sense of peace.

Instructions
This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate (airports, malls, parks, beaches, etc.). It should be done on strangers, unobtrusively, from some distance. Try to do all five steps on the same person.

Step 1
With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life."

Step 2
With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life."

Step 3
With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness, and despair."

Step 4
With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs."

Step 5
With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is learning about life."

Variation:

1. To be done by couples and family members to increase understanding of each other.
2. To be done on old enemies and antagonists still present in your memories.
3. To be done on other life forms.

Excerpted with permission from ReSurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Palmer ©1994, 1997, 2002, 2006

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