Generating Compassion

First of all, generating compassion is a decision one makes like the decision to go to college or to go out and drive in a car on a long journey. One assesses the needs of life and one responds to those needs.

Also, there is idiot compassion and there is wise right mindful compassion. Idiot compassion often will get someone killed or maimed. Right mindful compassion is figuring out the most efficient way to help someone or a group of beings so the most compassionate benefit to all beings occurs almost automatically.Wise Right mindful compassion usually keeps the one being compassionate alive, healthy and sane as well.

Then there is crazy wisdom compassion. Crazy wisdom compassion is being evolved enough to almost die while saving people, especially children, for example, saving a child or unaware person from being hit by a car or other serious calamity in the nick of time.

I am a practitioner of wise right mindful compassion and crazy wisdom compassion as well. However, I would say wise right mindful compassion is being ultimately practical and crazy wisdom as being ultimately efficient but still practical so that everyone survives.

The easiest place to start with all this is to first learn to generate compassion for your family and friends. Most of the time this is easy to do. Then one can generate compassion for their city or area and then their country and then the whole world. I decided about 30 years ago or more to generate compassion towards all beings in the universe in all time and space. If you live in a dualistic reality this might be hard for some of you who define all reality as good and bad. I tend to look at beings as infinite shades of gray. All beings are sort of like the weather. It rain, snow, wind, hail good or bad? It depends upon the circumstances mostly. The same is true of all beings. So why not have compassion for all the trillions of beings somewhat like us throughout the known universe? We all live here together. We may all meet each other one day so let's get ready now. Also, since it is my experience now that all time and space is connected here and now in my heart and mind I do experience the union of all like minded compassionate beings in the universe in all time and space. This is not theoretical. It is more real than my living in a body here on earth. This alliance with all compassionate beings in all time and space makes me stronger as a compassionate being than I ever thought possible as a human on earth.