Letting go: Cultivate Compassion in Your Life

 “Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”  -Dalai Lama

Develop empathy for your fellow human beings

Try this practice:
Imagine that a loved one is suffering. Something terrible has happened to him or her. Now try to imagine the pain they are going through. Imagine the suffering in as much detail as possible. After doing this practice for a couple of weeks, you should try moving on to imagining the suffering of others you know, not just those who are close to you.



Contemplate on the following

Instead of recognizing the differences between yourself and others, try to recognize what you have in common. At the root of it all, we are all human beings. We need food, and shelter, and love. We crave attention, and recognition, and affection, and above all, happiness.

Practice uttering the following with yourself 

 “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.”
 “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”
 “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.”
 “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.”
 “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”