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.
Eunice's thoughts: One time I had hard time seeing the situation from my friend's viewpoints. I decided to take a moment and cleared up the space between me and my friend. As I repeated each sentence to myself, I realized how much I cared for my friend and I began to appreciate the differences between us. It also calmed me down and be relaxed.