A Buddhist & a Psychotherapist Discuss Compassion

[@matsu820]

Brian is a very patient man.

[@bradeanuiulia1311]

It takes courage to merge...juicy stuff :)...in one symphony who knows who's emotion is :) ...love one another because it is not another

[@marks8413]

haha, an interesting and strange conversation. Thank you both. I felt the flow got a little bit disrupted by Brian's repeated insinuation that directing more attention to the action of compassion than of judgement could make one somehow 'less human'. Obviously acceptance and acknowledgement of our ourselves and what we are doing is the key practice but that doesn't preclude us from making skillful decisions in how we choose to direct our energy and attention. The practice of directing our focus to judgement (that is bad or wrong / why don't they know better etc) tends to create feedback loops of the very energy that we feel the need to oppose. Much better to express whatever feelings come up and then let them go, rather than perpetuating the entanglement with what we have deemed to be 'negative'. I'm sympathetic to Brian's idea in the sense that compassion isn't, in any absolute sense, 'better' than judgement - it simply allows energy to radiate out from us in a way that is more easily and efficiently understood.

[@jemimajefferson1497]

An interesting discussion. I find it surprising that a psychotherapist doesn't approach clients with compassion. I will have to watch again!