Student and Teacher

Together on the Path

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche responds to a student's question about how to generate compassion and not feel overwhelmed by all the pain and suffering in the world.

Student: I often feel overwhelmed even to the point of feeling distraught when generating compassion or empathy for all that's going on in the world. Can you offer advice about how to sit with the compassion that we generate in our practice and the emotional pain that I often feel as a result, without it becoming problematic?

Rinpoche: It's not just about sitting with the suffering. When we're practicing compassion and empathy, we recognize first of all that empathy is when we are focused on feeling whatever they are feeling. Compassion, though, is beyond empathy. Compassion is saying: May you be free. That is the word we use, remember? May you be free from this suffering and all the causes of this suffering. May you realize the happiness and all the causes of happiness. You are not simply suffering with their suffering. Instead, it's a very strong, very specific, intentional, powerful prayer that you are doing. So you are uplifting yourself when you give that prayer, particularly when you say the words out loud, whatever the words are. The added impact of exercising your body, voice and breath is important.