In this series of teachings, Venerable Robina Courtin teaches about the Buddhist approach to developing compassion.
WHY ENDLESS COMPASSION?
Sometimes it feels like the world’s problems are demanding so much of our attention that our compassion reserves will run dry. How can we develop strong, resilient compassion that allows us to help others? Venerable Robina says: “You don't harm others even slightly if you love, have compassion, generosity, forgiveness - it's not possible. It’s the delusions that cause us pain and cause us to harm others. So when we deeply understand that, it’s like we’ve got compassion for ourselves. That’s what qualifies us to have compassion for others - and that doesn’t just mean the victims, it means the people who do the harm. This is a really tough level of compassion but we can not have it until we know ourselves, until we know what causes us pain.”
Course notes: https://bit.ly/EndlessCompassionNotes
Links mentioned in video:
Lama Yeshe - Mahamudra: https://bit.ly/MahamudraFPMTShop
Lama Zopa Rinpoche - How to Face Death Without Fear: https://bit.ly/KLZR_DeathWithoutFear
Bronnie Ware - Top 5 Regrets of the Dying: https://bit.ly/Top5RegretsOfTheDying
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The nuts and bolts of Buddhist practice (8:24)
Why do we get drained when working with others and are seeing their suffering? It's *not* from compassion (15:00)
Understanding attachment (19:13)
The key to success! (25:11)
The bottom line is: (33:06)
Compassion is not enough, we need wisdom (35:58)
Q: What is the definition of "brain", "mind" and "consciousness"? (45:19)
Q: What about attachment to thinking "I'm right. My view is right"? (52:16)
Q: How do we practice in the present and still plan for the future? (57:48)
Q: Sir David Attenborough has said that we have 18 years left now to turn around what we are doing to wreck this planet we live on ..and then there will be no turning back from the inevitable destruction of all life on this planet and human being will become extinct...I just want to hear ven. Robinas thoughts on this fact (1:00:48)
Q: Where is the line between being compassionate and being a doormat? (1:06:19)
Q: Maybe when they (some Yoguis) say that we are not the mind they mean that we are not our ego. So how to recognize the Self and the ego? (1:11:18)
Q: What is Universal Mind in relation to our personal Mind. How is it connected? (1:12:40)
Q: I have been bullied in the past and at the same time told I am way too nice. So how to get around this? so we give up attachment to being seen to be 'a good little greek girl' but be good, help others and kind, say your truth and get on with it, by being brave/courageous and not being attached to being seen as say a 'good little greek girl' - identify my own attachment to being a 'good little greek girl' is this on the right track? (1:15:45)