SpiritualWiki - Mitgefuehl

Nach Hawkins bedeutet Mitgefühl angesichts von anhaltender Not und Widrigkeiten, unendliche Geduld und zu jeder Zeit und unter allen Umständen eine gütige, barmherzige und liebevolle Haltung einzunehmen. Dies gilt auch für das eigene Selbst und für die eigenen Gedanken.

Mitgefühl schwingt auf der Bewusstseinsebene von 560 und ist eines der machtvollsten aller Attraktorfelder. Durch wirkliches Verständis darüber, was es bedeutet, ein Mensch zu sein, erwächst Mitgefühl – für andere und sich selbst – und löst damit das Schubladisieren, Beurteilen, Verurteilen und Verdammen ab. Mitgefühl transformiert die Wahrnehmung in Vision.

Mitgefühl als Bewusstseinebene ist die Ebene von Heiligen, spirituellen Heilern und fortgeschritten spirituellen Schülern. In der Evolution des Bewusstseins entwickelt sich Liebe zu bedingungsloser Liebe und weiter zu Mitgefühl.

Mitleid wird mitunter fälschlicherweise mit Mitgefühl verwechselt. Mitleid ist selbstzentriertes Mitleiden.

Wenn Liebe und Barmherzigkeit durch Mitgefühl aufrechterhalten werden, ist Leiden nicht möglich.

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Mitgefühl – Verständnis für die menschliche Geworfenheit

Die Umstände des Menschseins – Conditio humana

Ein Mensch wird geboren

ohne bewusste Erinnerung an eine Wahl/Entscheidung für
- einen Tierkörper samt Denk- und Gefühlsorganen
- (eventuell schwierige) Familienverhältnisse, soziales Leben in einer komplexen Zivilisation
ohne Wissen
- des eigenen Karmas und Gruppenkarmas
- der unsichtbaren negativ beeinflussenden Energiefelder
- seiner Identität
mit der Notwendigkeit
- ein Gefühl für sich selbst und seine Identität zu entwickeln
- umfangreiche, komplizierte Fertigkeiten auf vielen Ebenen zu erlernen, um zu überleben
mit der Folge, der
- Abspaltung eines Aspekts des Selbstbildes, das zum inneren Feind, zum Angreifer, wird und Aufrührer von Schuld, Angst und Gewissensbissen sowie unaufhörlicher Selbstverurteilung
mit der Auseinandersetzung
- bewusster und
- unbewusster Daten und Energiefelder
- überwältigender Erfahrungen
einem fehlerhaften Gehirn
- mit seinen eingebauten Mechanismus von Belohnung und Wohlgefühl
- seiner naiven, leicht programmierbaren Software
- mit sofortiger Umsetzung einer Erfahrung, ohne sie ausgiebig zu ergründen
- mit Vergesslichkeit und dem Verlust erheblicher Datenanteile
mit dem Potential verdrängter Inhalte schmerzhafter Natur als potentielle Munition für
- Selbstangriffe
- Selbstquälerei
- Schuldbewusstsein
- Gewissensbisse
- Selbstmord
- Projektion
- Angst vor Angriffen von außen (Projektion)
- Paranoia

Wenn man sich so mit innerem Verständnis die Situation des Menschen vor Augen hält, wird klar, dass seine Aussichten auf Überleben, Glück und Erfolg aufgrund seiner beschränkten Mittel fragwürdig sind. In weitem Umfang gelingt nicht einmal das Überleben und Millionen Menschen sterben in vielerlei gefährlichen Fallen und Katastrophen. Selbst wenn man persönlich nichts damit zu tun hat, kann man in den Ego-Problemen der Gesellschaft mit gefangen werden, welche sich als Krieg, Pest, Hungersnot oder Unfälle manifestieren.

D. Hawkins, Licht des Alls. Die Wirklichkeit des Göttlichen, S. 102-105, 2006

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Zitate zum Thema Mitgefühl / Compassion

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Zitate von D. Hawkins

⚠ Achtung Siehe Power vs. Truth (engl.) Januar 2013

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"...and surrender all judgement to God."

The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 265, Veritas Publishing, revised edition 2002

Verschreibe dich dem Ziel der bedingungslosen Liebe und des Mitgefühls für alles Leben in all seinen Ausdrucksformen, und übergib alles Urteilen GOTT. FU Das All-sehende Auge, S. 289, 2005

Mitgefühl und Weisheit gehen Hand in Hand. Das All-sehende Auge, S. 292, 2005

Aufgrund des Mitgefühls wächst der Wunsch, eher zu verstehen als zu verurteilen. Mit Verständnis sehen wir, dass die Menschen tatsächlich nicht anders sein können, als sie in einem gegebenen Augenblick sind. Das All-sehende Auge, S. 347, 2005

Man legt sein eigenes Schicksal durch Wahl fest. Es gibt keine willkürlichen Mächte, mit denen man rechnen müsste. Liebe wählt Liebe und geht zur Liebe. Der Mechanismus von Vergebung gewährt eben diese Vergebung. Das gesamte Universum ist von Mitgefühl umschlossen, das allen zugänglich ist. Gebet ist wirksam. GOTT "entscheidet" nicht in irgendeiner willkürlichen Art. Die innewohnenden Eigenschaften des Göttlichen sind Barmherzigkeit und Mitgefühl. Licht des Alls. Die Wirklichkeit des Göttlichen, S. 364, 2006

Leute unter dem Bewusstseinsniveau 200 haben keine Wahl, ihre Gedanken zurückzuweisen. Dafür verdienen sie um so mehr unser Mitgefühl. Wir haben jedoch die Macht, Gedanken und deren aufputschende Reizwirkung abzuweisen. Das ist eine immense Leistung. Ihr habt das Recht abzuweisen. Tustin Seminar Titel unbekannt, 22. November 2003

Frage: Wie kann ich mitfühlen, ohne dabei zu verurteilen?
Antwort: Erkenne, dass es sich um eine Wechselbeziehung der Schöpfung handelt und sieh, wie das Karma sich entfaltet. Du bist bereits selbst das Mitgefühl, andernfalls wäre diese Frage nicht in dir aufgetaucht. Sedona Seminar Vision, 3 DVD-Set, 25. Februar 2005

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Quotes by D. Hawkins

⚠ Caveat See Power vs. Truth, January 2013

Perhaps from compassion for each other's blindness, we can learn to forgive ourselves, and peace can then be our assured future. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, Hay House, February 2002

The empathy derived from contemplating this Map of Consciousness will hopefully make the path to Joy a shorter one. The key to Joy is unconditional kindness to all life, including one's own, which we refer to as compassion. Without compassion, little of any significance is ever accomplished in human endeavor. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, S. 73, Hay House, February 2002

Compassion is one of the highest of all energy attractor power patterns. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, S. 86, Veritas Publishing, 1st edition 1995

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The physical and mental health of an individual is implicit along the path of awakening.

Once we really understand the human condition, we will feel compassion where we once might have felt condemnation. Compassion is one of the highest of all energy attractor power patterns. […] [O]ur capacity to understand [400s], forgive [500s] and accept [300s] is directly linked to our personal health. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, chapter 17 "Physical Health and Power. The Power of Nutrition", S. 212, Hay House, February 2002

Compassion is instrumental for any advancement of consciousness. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, S. 233, Hay House, February 2002

To have compassion for oneself and all of mankind is instrumental – not only in recovery, but for any major advancement in consciousness – as we go through the painful struggles of evolution. Only then do we become healers as well as healed, and only then may we hope to be cured of any malaise, physical or spiritual. Power vs. Force. The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, S. 233, Hay House, February 2002

Spiritual truth, then, is universally true and without variation through time or place. It always brings peace, harmony, accord, love, compassion, and mercy. Truth can be identified by these qualities. All else is the invention of the ego. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 40, 2001

Choose to be easygoing, benign, forgiving, compassionate and unconditionally loving towards all life in all its expressions without exception, including oneself. Focus on unselfish service and the giving of love, consideration, and respect to all creatures. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 65, 2001

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Drawn to Holy Company

Familiarity with more compassionate viewpoints of life tends to potentiate them; thus, the traditional spiritual advice to 'mingle with holy company' and avoid negative companions. This potentiates progressive discernment [LoC 375] of more appropriate attitudes and habits of thought. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 138, 2001

Ask for direction and divine assistance and surrender all personal will through devotion. Dedicate one’s life to the service of God. Choose love and peace above all other options. Commit to the goal of unconditional love and compassion for all life in all its expression and surrender all judgment to God. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 201, 2001

One's inner spiritual evolution is of greater value to society than any form of doingness. The level of compassion radiates out and contributes silently to mankind's wisdom. I. Reality and Subjectivity, S. 301, 2003

Compassion for the self is an attribute of the Self. Thus, the last great resistance to be surrendered is the resistance to the ever-present Love of God. Transcending Levels of Consciousness, S. 354, 2006

With compassion, one realizes that the structure of the ego is such that it cannot know what lies beyond. Dissolving the Ego, Realizing the Self. Contemplations from the Teachings of David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., edited by Scott Jeffrey, chapter 1, S. 31, quote 1, Hay House, August 2011

Question Susanne Spitzer: How may we develop our brains? I would hope each person has the capacity to develop compassion.
Answer D. Hawkins: It does not seem to be so. To spiritual people it seems plausible, but the study of the evolution of consciousness reveals that there are people who are not capable. Those who cannot, are not even conditioned by Pavlovian conditioning. They put their hand on the plate, get it burned, then turn around and do it again. Interview with D. Hawkins, On the Trilogy of Book 1, 2 and 3, presented by the dissolved blogspot Openexchange.org, Susanne Spitzer, 2004

We will try to understand the structure of the ego and how it arose over great expanses of time. We will also discover how to be friendly with the ego and dissolve it rather than reinforcing it by attacking it. Every time you attack the ego you reinforce it through guilt and shame. Attacking the ego – making it wrong and labeling it "sin" – is not helpful. You can only transcend it by familiarity, non-condemnation, acceptance, and compassion for one's own ego. The high road to compassion is through understanding and acceptance. Interview with D. Hawkins, On the Trilogy of Book 1, 2 and 3, presented by the dissolved blog Openexchange.org, Susanne Spitzer, 2004

It is important to see the simple things because the ego is built of bricks. Once you remove one or two bricks the whole wall comes falling down. You don't have to go to an ashram for three months and eat figs. Just the willingness in ordinary life to be kind and forgiving and compassionate is enough. Interview Power vs. Force, presented by the US American magazine In Light Times, Kathryn M. Brinkley, November 2004

For example, one could therefore choose kindness, compassion, forgiveness, understanding, or non-critical acceptance. One could choose to be unconditionally loving or committed to seeing the innocence of life. Whatever principle is chosen then has to be applied to everyone, including oneself, without exception, and with absolute persistence. Interview The Path of Simplicity, presented by the US American magazine In Light Times, March 2005

Reframing enables you to have compassion for yourself and others because you see that you did what you thought was right at the time. Interview with David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD, presented by the US American magazine Holistic Networker, Gina Mazza Hillier, Tony Cecala, 13. August 2005

Question UH, Matt Laughlin: In the context of consciousness, when one gives up their life for something greater than their personal self, whether for a friend or nation. […] it really raises one’s level of consciousness.
Answer DH: Yes, indeed. The willingness to give all the way to the level of even life itself out of compassion and concern and love for your fellow man is a very high gift and it raises one’s level of consciousness rapidly and enormously. Interview Consciousness and Medicine, presented by the dissolved US American health magazine "Unified Health!", host Matt Laughlin, Vol 4, No. 12, S. 6, summer 2008

People under LoC 200 don't have the choice to say no to their thoughts. For this, they deserve even more of our compassion. Tustin, Arizona, Seminar Title unknown, 22. November 2003

The way we dissolve the ego is through love, compassion – not because Buddha or Jesus said so, but because we recognize it for what it is. Sedona Seminar Thought and Ideation, 3 DVD set, 28. February 2004

Survival is me, ego, the animal is driven by hungryness, never enough, the core of the ego is wantingness. It wants more of everything, is greedy, desiring, insatiable, you cannot satisfy it. The average person is driven by this instinct, this primitivism. This is the basic nature of the ego, survival. Once you know that, you can have compassion for it [the ego] and treat it like a pet. Chicago Seminar Title unknown, 10. April 2004

Question: Where is the line between showing love and compassion for someone, and karmically interfering with someone’s life? How can you know when it's one or the other?
Answer: It's the sophistication of knowing when something is appropriate and when it's inappropriate. You can use kinesiology to ask, in the name of the highest good, is intervening appropriate, yes or no? Sometimes hitting bottom is the source of someone's salvation. Are you truly doing it for their sake? Sedona Seminar Identification and Illusion, 3 DVD set, 14. August 2004

Emotionality is based on perception. Compassion results from a discernment of truth [LoC 375]. Sedona Seminar The Ego and The Self, 3 DVD set, 11. December 2004

Question: How do you be compassionate without forming a judgment?
Answer: You see that it's the interaction of creation and how karma unfolds. You are already that, otherwise it wouldn't be in you to ask this question. Sedona Seminar Vision, 3 DVD set, 25. February 2005

Compassion – intuiting the sacredness of all of life […] the Divinity of all of creation. You see the sacredness of all that exists. It stands out from everything when you reach a certain level. It makes it difficult to function for awhile. Sedona Seminar God, Religion and Spirituality, 3 DVD set, 10. December 2005

Question: I would like to speak compassionately to a person that is dying. He is not spiritual. What can I say?
Answer: You can bless them. Look deep in their eyes, you can then "see" their soul. In my practice I did that with "impossible" patients where everything had been tried and I connected my actual reality with their actual reality which is the same thing. Sometimes that healed them. Mother Teresa did the same thing. When they were healed they saw that their crippled bodies no longer mattered. Sedona Satsang Q&A, Sedona Creative Life Center, 2 CD set, 8. November 2006

Your commitment to be kind toward all things is what brings up the unkind! It is your commitment that brings it up and your ego says, "Oh, yeah? How about now!" Forgive yourself for being mean and nasty to that person – even though he deserved it! ☺ Sedona Seminar God vs. Science. Limits of the Mind, 3 DVD set, 17. February 2007

[Paraphrased] Feeling compassion is more essential than showing compassion. Sedona Seminar Practical Spirituality, 3 DVD set, 25. October 2008

Attempt to have compassion for the degree to which the narcissistic core of the ego enslaves humanity. Prescott Seminar Freedom. Morality and Ethics, 3 DVD set, 8. November 2008

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Zitate von anderen Quellen

Persönliches Bekenntnis

Ich glaube, dass die Menschheit nur durch Mitgefühl überleben kann. Leider verarmen auch die Europäer mit zunehmender Rationalisierung emotional. Swetlana Alexijewitsch (*1948) weißrussische Schriftstellerin, Literatornobelpreisträgerin (2015), zitiert in: Interview Uns fehlt die Kultur des Glücks, präsentiert von der überregionalen deutschen Tageszeitung Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Kerstin Holm, 20. Juni 2013

OM AMI SATTVA MANI PADME HUM.
Übersetzung: Ich rufe die Buddhas des Lichts und des Mitgefühls, jegliches Kleinod, das in der Lotusblüte auftaucht, vom Kreislauf des Leides befreien. Mantra in Sanskrit, zugesprochen Avalokiteshvara, dem Bodhisattva des universellen Mitgefühls im Mahayana-Buddhismus, Quelle unbekannt

Das ethische Verhalten eines Menschen sollte auf Mitgefühl, Erziehung und sozialen Bindungen basieren; eine religiöse Basis ist nicht notwendig. Ein Mensch würde in einer armseligen Weise handeln, wenn sein Verhalten durch die Angst vor Bestrafung oder die Erwartung einer Belohnung nach dem Tod bestimmt würde. Albert Einstein [BW 499] (1879-1955) deutschstämmiger US-amerikanischer theoretischer Physiker, Entwickler der Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie, Nobelpreisträger in Physik, 1921, Quelle unbekannt

Ein Mensch ist Teil des Ganzen, das wir "Universum" nennen, begrenzt in Raum und Zeit. Er erlebt sich selbst, sein Denken und Fühlen als abgetrennt gegenüber dem Rest, eine Art von optischer Täuschung seines Bewusstseins. Diese Wahnvorstellung ist ein Gefängnis, das uns auf unsere persönlichen Bedürfnisse und die Zuneigungen zu einigen uns nahe stehenden Personen beschränkt. Es muss unsere Aufgabe sein, uns aus diesem Gefängnis zu befreien, indem wir den Kreis des Mitgefühls für andere ausweiten, so dass es alle lebenden Geschöpfe und die gesamte Natur in ihrer Schönheit umfasst. Niemand kann diese Aufgabe vollends erfüllen, doch gerade die Anstrengungen, dieses Ziel zu erreichen, sind ein Teil der Befreiung und ein Fundament für das innere Vertrauen. Albert Einstein [BW 499] (1879-1955) deutschstämmiger US-amerikanischer theoretischer Physiker, Entwickler der Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie, Nobelpreisträger in Physik, 1921, Quelle unbekannt

Wahres Mitgefühl bedeutet nicht, den Täter in seiner Selbstgerechtigkeit zu bestärken; wahres Mitgefühl bedeutet vielmehr, zu erkennen, dass der Weg zu wahrer Menschlichkeit zurückgehen muss zu einer Konfrontation mit dem eigenen, vergangenen Leid. Arno Gruen (1923-2015) deutsch-schweizerischer Psychologe, Psychoanalytiker, Zivilisationskritiker, Schriftsteller, Der Verlust des Mitgefühls. Über die Politik der Gleichgültigkeit, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (dtv), 1. Oktober 1997, 11. Auflage 2016

Mitgefühl kein Gefühlszustand ist, den wir "erlangen" müssen oder eine moralische Entscheidung, die wir treffen müssen. Mitgefühl steigt auf, wenn man die Dinge sieht, wie sie wirklich sind. Es übersteigt die moralischen Ansichten von gut und böse, richtig und falsch, heilig und unheilig, dein Gott und mein Gott. Es ist schlicht die natürliche Bewegung der Liebe, die du und alle Dinge sind. Chameli Gad Ardagh (*1971) norwegische Schauspielerin, Psychotherapeutin, Frauentrainerin, spirituelle Autorin, Komm dir näher....und l(i)ebe deine tiefste Sehnsucht, J.Kamphausen Verlag, 18. Februar 2008

Referenz: de.Wikiquote-Eintrag ► Mitgefühl

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Quotes by various other sources

Personal avowals

Whenever I see an erring man, I say to myself I have also erred; when I see a lustful man I say to myself, so was I once; and in this way I feel kinship with everyone in the world and feel that I cannot be happy without the humblest of us being happy. Mohandas Karamchand Mahatma Gandhi [LoC 760] (1869-1948) Indian Hindu sage, spiritual activist leader, humanitarian, lawyer, nonviolent freedom fighter, source unknown

I have a certain amount of affection and compassion towards others. The seed of that did not come from Buddhism, it did not come from religion, it came from my mother. H.H. 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Peace Nobel Prize laureate, 1989, source unknown

My own mother, for instance, was very kind. So today, the first seed of my compassion came from my mother, not from Buddhism. After studying Buddhism, it merely increased. If I didn’t have that kind of a kind mother or if my parents had abused me, then today maybe it would be difficult for me to practice compassion. Therefore, the seed of compassion is a biological factor. We need it for survival. H.H. 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Peace Nobel Prize laureate, 1989, Religious Harmony, Compassion,and Islam, transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin, Milan, Italy, 9. December 2007

Recommendation

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. H.H. 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Peace Nobel Prize laureate, 1989, source unknown

Appeals

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Ass kicking compassion

Real compassion kicks butt and takes names. If you are not ready for this fire, then find a New Age, sweetness-and-light, perpetually smiling teacher and learn to relabel your ego with spiritual sounding terms. But, stay away from those who practice real compassion because they will fry your ass, my friend. ⚡ Ken Wilber [LoC 490] (*1949) US American transpersonal philosopher, consciousness researcher, thought leader of the 3rd millennium, developer of Integral Theory, author, One Taste. Daily Reflections on Integral Spirituality, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colorado, 1999, revised subedition 8. August 2000

We are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be changed so that men and women not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) US American Baptist minister, activist, leader of the African American civil rights movement, speech "We as a Nation Must Undergo a Radical Revolution of Values", 4. April 1967, YouTube clip 1967: "Radical Revolution of Values", YouTube film, 3:51 minutes duration, posted 20. January 2014

The Buddha looked at the world […] with compassion and saw the world in pain and spent the next 40 years of his life trying to help people to live with their pain. This is our message now. This is what every one of us can do: to increase awareness of the pain of the world, to let it disturb us. It's not easy [...] We should all be sweating with the effort of how to bring the message of compassion – that alone can save our world – to public awareness. Audio presentation by Karen Armstrong (*1944) British former Roman Catholic nun, scholar of comparative religion, "freelance theist", founder of the Charter of Compassion, commentator, author, Compassion: the centuries-old solution to violence, sponsored by the Global Conference on World's Religions After September 11, Montreal, Canada, September 2016, recorded and presented by the Canadian CBC Radio Tapestry, minute 19:05, 21:01 minutes duration, posted 23. October 2016

Conclusion

Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. One would rather see the world run by men who set their hearts on toys but are accessible to pity, than by men animated by lofty ideals whose dedication makes them ruthless. In the chemistry of man's soul, almost all noble attributes – courage, honor, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc. – can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us. Eric Hoffer [LoC 505] (1902-1983) US American social writer, philosopher, The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms, section 139, Harper, 1955

Warning – Future outlook

A nation that year after year spends more money on military defense, than it does on programs of social uplift is facing spiritual death. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) US American Baptist minister, activist, leader of the African American civil rights movement, speech "We as a Nation Must Undergo a Radical Revolution of Values", 4. April 1967, YouTube film 1967: "Radical Revolution of Values", 3:51 minutes duration, posted 20. January 2014

Insight

An elder was once asked, "What is a compassionate heart?"
He replied: "It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons and for all that exists." Isaac of Nineveh [Saint Isaac the Syrian] (~640-~700) Syrian 7th-century Church of the East Syriac Christian bishop and theologian, hermit, ascet, mystic, source unknown

Compassion is the rejection of that which is not real. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj [LoC 720] (1897-1981) Indian Hindu sage of the advaita vedānta tradition, source unknown

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. Albert Einstein [LoC 499] (1879-1955) German-born US American theoretical physicist, developer of the theory of general relativity, Nobel Prize laureate in physics, 1921, letter to a distraught father who had lost his young son asking for some comforting words, 12. February 1950, presented by the US American daily newspaper The New York Times, 29. March 1972

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Compassion for strangers drives evolution.

In however complex a manner compassion [sympathy] may have originated as it is one of high importance to all those animals which aid and defend one another it will have been increased through natural selection for those communities which included the greatest number of the most compassionate [sympathetic] members would flourish best and rear the greatest number of offspring. Charles Darwin [LoC 450/460] (1809-1882) English naturalist, author of the biological theory of evolution, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, S. 130, 1871

All languages that derive from Latin form the word compassion by combining the prefix meaning with (com-) and the root meaning suffering (Late Latin, passio). In other languages, Czech, Polish, German, and Swedish, for instance – this word is translated by a noun formed of an equivalent prefix combined with the word that means feeling (Czech, sou-cit; Polish, wspol-czucie; German, Mit-gefühl; Swedish, med-kansia). In languages that derive from Latin, compassion means: we cannot look on coolly as others suffer; or, we sympathize with those who suffer. Another word with approximately the same meaning, pity (French, pitie; Italian, pieta; etc.), connotes a certain condescension towards the sufferer. To take pity on a woman means that we are better off than she, that we stoop to her level, lower ourselves.That is why the word compassion generally inspires suspicion; it designates what is considered an inferior, second-rate sentiment that has little to do with love. To love someone out of compassion means not really to love. In languages that form the word compassion not from the root suffering but from the root feeling, the word is used in approximately the same way, but to contend that it designates a bad or inferior sentiment is difficult. The secret strength of its etymology floods the word with another light and gives it a broader meaning: to have compassion (co-feeling) means not only to be able to live with the other's misfortune but also to feel with him any emotion – joy, anxiety, happiness, pain. This kind of compassion […] therefore signifies the maximal capacity of affective imagination, the art of emotional telepathy. In the hierarchy of sentiments, then, it is supreme. Milan Kundera (*1929) Czech-born naturalized French citizen writer, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Harper & Row, New York City, New York, 1984

Familial compassion is a given. Compassion is restrained to the members of the family and it is strongest to the infant. [...] For some people familial compassion embraces humanity. These people are unbelievably understudied because we need to learn from them. Paul Ekman, Ph.D. paulekman.com (*1934) US American professor of psychology, anthropologist, pioneer in the study of emotions, UCSF, author, The Evolution of Emotions – Dacher Keltner – excerpted from: Does Darwin Illuminate Emotion and Spirituality?, sponsored by Wonderfest, recorded by the event video production company Fora.tv, 16. "Compassionate outliers and evolution", excerpt: 4:13 minutes duration [original duration: 1:26:05], aired 8. November 2009, posted 18. November 2009

A study at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management found that compassion and building teamwork will be two of the most important characteristics business leaders will need for success a decade from now. Bruce Cryer, Lew Doc Childre, US American human development specialist, originator of the HeartMath® System, founder ot the HeartMath Institute [LoC 460] nonprofit research and education organization for reducing stress, self-regulating emotions and building energy, 1991

Being a warrior isn't about taking lives, isn't about showing strength, isn't about showing how much knowledge you have, being a warrior is learning how to cry because when a man learns how to cry compassion starts to grow. Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse (*1976) US American actor, Lakota spiritual leader, member of the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Nation, source unknown

The truth will ultimately dissolve the hurt, but this is a by-product. In fact, it is only in the presence of compassion, will people allow themselves to see the truth. Where there is no compassion there is no trust. A.H. Almaas, Ph.D. (*1944) Kuwaitian physicist, spiritual teacher, founder of the therapeutic Diamond Approach, author, Elements of the Real in Man (Diamond Heart, Book 1), S. 92, Diamond Books, 1st edition 5. September 2000

When we talk about compassion we talk in terms of being kind. But compassion is not so much being kind; it is being creative [enough] to wake a person up. ⚡ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939-1987) controversial Buddhist meditation master, holder of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, source unknown

True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings. Pema Chödrön [Deirdre Blomfield-Brown] (*1936) US American Tibetan Buddhist nun (*1981), teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of ⚡ Chögyam Trungpa, author, Start Where You Are. A Guide to Compassionate Living, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colorado, 1st edition 9. March 2004

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Men are ignorant, not understanding each other.

Mostly what we do is not so much hate each other. What we mostly do is not understand each other. […] I think if I could really understand another human being as well as physically possible, let’s say, that individual becomes more interesting to me rather than less interesting. At least this happens with everything else that I’ve done in life and probably happens to most people and happens for sure to scientists. That
- '''the more they understand something,
- the more they like it,
- the more they love it,
- the more they understand it,
- and there's an incredible feeling of, not of possession, but of being a part of something when you understand it.'''

Video interview with Rodolfo Llinás (*1934) Columbian-American professor of neuroscience, chairman of the department of physiology and neuroscience, School of Medicine, New York University, Enter the "i of the vortex", Transcript, PDF, presented by The Science Network (TSN), The Science Studio, host, co-founder and director Roger Bingham (*1948) British science communicator, writer, public television producer, 1:12:00 duration, aired 17. April 2007

[E]mpathy is the engine that powers all the best in us. It is what civilizes us. It is what connects us to these women [in Afghanistan] who live enshrouded and muffled and beaten down and broken, in cities and towns so far away from us as if to be in a different galaxy. It enables us to feel their despair and their anguish as if it were our own. [...] [T]hey are us, and we are them. Public speech by Meryl Streep (*1949) US American actress, Meryl Streep Promotes Empathy, event What Women Want, presented by the The Center for Building a Culture of Empathy, sponsored by the magazine Marie Claire and the Home Shopping Network, location The Hudson Theatre, New York City, 4. May 2006, included in the Empathy Documentary Project on the nature of empathy conducted by Edwin Rutsch, US American founder of Culture Of Empathy, YouTube film, minute 2:22, posted 17. November 2010

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other. Interview with Meryl Streep (*1949) US American actress, presented by the publication Cosmo, host Michael Segell, May 1991

True compassion comes from a tender and vulnerable place where we understand how inextricably connected we are. Article by Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW (*1965) US American shame, vulnerability, empathy researcher, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, public speaker, author, The Cruelty Crisis: Bullying Isn't a School Problem, It's a National Pastime. Exclusion, humiliation, gossiping, and name-calling – we can't get enough!, presented by the US American bimonthly magazine Psychology Today, 1. November 2010

The most valuable and profitable business skill is compassion [i.e. proactive empathy]. Video interview with Eben Pagan, US American Internet marketeer, developer of ten information product brands, Eben Pagan – Compassion, presented by the Money Master Interview, host Anthony Robbins (*1960) US American life coach, motivational speaker, self-help author, YouTube film, minute 0:05, 4:33 minutes duration, posted 24. August 2012

Only human beings make the error of altruism. Richard Dawkins [LoC 190] (*1941) British zoologist, neoskeptical theoretical biologist, militant atheist, author, source unknown

Compassion is contempt with a human face. John McCarthy (*1956) British broadcaster, hostage in the Lebanon hostage crisis, 1986, journalist, writer, unsourced

Compassion is no substitute for justice.
Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021) US American radio and TV show host, opinion leader in American conservatism, commentator, cited in: Quotes.net

Reference: en.Wikiquote entry ► Compassion

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Index: Mitgefühl / Compassion – Bücher von D. Hawkins

Englische Werke

Healing and Recovery, chapter 2 "Assisting Healing", S. 60-65
Intention to be a source of healing to ourself and others sets up a context.

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Index: Audio- und Videomedien (engl.) von und mit D. Hawkins

Sedona Sedona Seminar Vision, lecture 1, DVD 2 of 3, 25. February 2005 – How Can I Be Compassionate Without Having A Judgement, YouTube film, 3:11 minutes duration, posted by StudyYourself 28. September 2012

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Links zum Thema Mitgefühl / Compassion

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Literatur

Daisetz T. Suzuki (1870-1966) japanischer Zen-Philosoph, Karuna. Zen und der Weg der tätigen Liebe, O. W. Barth, ISBN 3502645973, 2. Auflage 1996
Pyar Troll, Bodhichitta, Bodhichitta – Das erwachte Herz. Das Sieben-Punkte-Geistestraining für Weisheit und Mitgefühl, J.Kamphausen Verlag, 1. Auflage März 2005
S.H. 14. Dalai Lama, Dr. Paul Ekman (*1934) US-amerikanischer Professor für Psychologie, Anthropologe, Pionier der Emotionsforschung, Universität von Kalifornien, San Francisco (UCSF), Autor, Gefühl und Mitgefühl. Emotionale Achtsamkeit und der Weg zum seelischen Gleichgewicht, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, 1. Auflage 1. Juli 2009

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Literature (engl.)

Pema Chödrön [Deirdre Blomfield-Brown] (*1936) US American Tibetan Buddhist nun (*1981), teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of ⚡ Chögyam Trungpa, author
► Audiobook Good Medicine. How to Turn Pain into Compassion with Tonglen Meditation, presented by the US American multimedia publishing company Sounds True, Boulder, Colorado, March 2001
► Start Where You Are. A Guide to Compassionate Living, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colorado, 1st edition 9. March 2004
H.H. 14. Dalai Lama, Paul Ekman, Ph.D. paulekman.com (*1934) US American professor of psychology, anthropologist, pioneer in the study of emotions, UCSF, author, Emotional Awareness. Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance, Holt Paperbacks, revised edition 16. September 2008

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Externe Weblinks

Wikipedia-Einträge Empathie, Mitgefühl

Kostenloses EBook von Tania Singer und Matthias Bolz, Fast alles über Mitgefühl in einem multimedialen eBook!, präsentiert von compassion-training.org

Mitgefühlsstudie von Dr. Richard J. Davidson (*1951) US-amerikanischer Vilas Professor für Psychologie und Psychiatrie, Hirnforscher, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, Universität von Wisconsin-Madison, Gehirne von Tibet-Mönchen drastisch verändert, präsentiert von der überregionalen deutschen Tageszeitung Die Welt, Wissen, 26. März 2008

f-Kernspin-Hirnscans von tibetischen Mönchen

Artikel Emotionale Verkettung. Empathie ist auf Körpergefühle angewiesen., präsentiert von der Publikation Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Martin Hubert, 11. August 2008

Linklose Artikel

Interview mit Brian Swimme (*1950) US-amerikanischer Kosmologe, California Institute of Integral Studies, Umfassendes Mitgefühl, präsentiert von dem deutschen Magazin "Was ist Erleuchtung? (WIE)", Susan Bridle, US-amerikanische Schülerin von ⚡ Andrew Cohen (1992-2002), Lektorin des aufgelösten Magazins WIE / EnlightenNext, Autorin, Heft 6, ~2000

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External web links (engl.)

Wikipedia entries Compassion, Empathy, Roots of Empathy
Initiatives Charter for Compassion, founded by Karen Armstrong (*1944) British former Roman Catholic nun, scholar of comparative religion, "freelance theist", commentator, author

Article by Lynne McTaggart (*1951) US American alternative medicine activist, lecturer, publisher, journalist, author, Making a monkey out of science, presented by the website lynnemctaggart.com, 17. April 2009
Article The rich are different – and not in a good way, studies suggest. The 'Haves' show less empathy than 'Have-nots' , presented by the website MSNBC, Brian Alexander, 8. October 2011, updated 2013
Article Measuring Compassion in the Body. What happens in Vagus… may make or break compassion, presented by the free online magazine Greater Good, Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, 9. March 2015

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Audio- und Videolinks

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Audio and video links (engl.)

Video interview with James Barrett, US American student of religious and mystical traditions, created a real-time heart biofeedback device to demonstrate principles and spectra signature of compassion (1996-2000), James Barrett on The Silent Gospel, presented by the US American Conscious Media Network via Gaia TV, host Regina Meredith, 38:06 minutes duration, posted June 2007 Subject to fee
Veoh video lecture by Richard Davidson, Ph.D., US American neuroscientist, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, sponsored by The Wisconsin Academy, 13. February 2007, ~August 2007
- Be Happy Like a Monk, part 1 of 2, 23:12 minutes duration
- Be Happy Like a Monk, part 2 of 2, 28:59 minutes duration
- Be Happy Like a Monk – QA Session, 33:14 minutes duration

Featuring the compassion study

Video presentation by Daniel Goleman (*1946) US American psychologist, science journalist, author, On compassion, presented by TED Talks, 13:14 minutes duration, filmed March 2007, posted December 2007
Video presentation by Paul Ekman, Ph.D. paulekman.com (*1934) US American professor of psychology, anthropologist, pioneer in the study of emotions, UCSF, author, Compassion, Love, and the Dalai Lama, presented by the free online publication Greater Good Magazine, UC Berkeley, 22. October 2008, 83:14 minutes duration, posted 19. May 2010
Video presentation New center at Stanford to study brain's role in compassion, altruism, sponsored by the "Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education", School of Medicine, Stanford University, YouTube film, 4:00 minutes duration, posted by stanfordmedicine 12. February 2009

Study on the brain's role in compassion, altruism

Video presentation and Q&A by H.H. the 14. Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1989, Ethics for Our Time, emphasizing the importance of compassion, sponsored by the University of California, Department of Religious Studies, Santa Barbara, California, 24. April 2009, presented and recorded by the UCtelevision, program "Voices", YouTube film, 1:49:50 duration, 7. August 2009

Genuine compassion

Video presentation by H.H. the 14. Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1989, Genuine Compassion, presented at the Vancouver Peace Summit 2009, sponsored by "The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education", Dalai Lama videos on Facebook 2:32 minutes duration, Vancouver, Sunday 27. September 2009
"There are two levels of compassion."
Video lecture by Richard Davidson, Ph.D., US American professor of neuroscience, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain, sponsored by the platform Google Tech Talks, Google Campus, Mountain View, California, 23. September 2009, YouTube film, 1:05:21 duration, posted 28. September 2009

Neuroscientific research of positive human qualities as compassion and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice

"By 2050 I believe mental exercise will be understood as being as important as physical exercise."

Video presentation by George Lakoff, Ph.D. (*1941) US American professor of cognitive linguistics, UC Berkeley, co-founder of the think tank Rockridge Institute, author, On Empathy, 25. February 2010, YouTube film, 6:12 minutes duration, posted 2. March 2010
Video animation and narration by Jeremy Rifkin (*1945) US American economist, political advisor and activist, founder and president of the Foundation On Economic Trends, public speaker, author, The Empathic Civilisation, Transcript, presented by the publication RSA Animate, YouTube film, 10:39 minutes duration, posted 6. May 2010

Empathy and mirror neurons

Video presentation by Paul Ekman, Ph.D. paulekman.com (*1934) US American professor of psychology, anthropologist, pioneer in the study of emotions, UCSF, author, The Roots of Compassion, presented by the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, YouTube film, 4:44 minutes duration, posted 17. June 2010
Video presentation by George Lakoff, Ph.D., US American professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, Empathy and Sustainability, sponsored by World Changing Careers Conference, Vancouver, YouTube film, 6 parts, July 2009
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 1 of 6, 9:51 minutes duration, posted 8. July 2010
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 2 of 6, 9:57 minutes duration, posted 9. July 2010
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 3 of 6, 9:56 minutes duration, posted 9. July 2010
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 4 of 6, 9:54 minutes duration, posted 9. July 2010
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 5 of 6, 9:35 minutes duration, posted 9. July 2010
- Frameworks, Empathy and Sustainability, part 6 of 6, 7:11 minutes duration, posted 10. July 2010
Video presentation by Krista Tippett (*1960) US American entrepreneur, US American journalist, special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to West Germany, founder and host of the American Public Media, radio program and podcast On Being, journalist, author, Reconnecting with compassion, presented by TED Talks TEDPrize@UN, 15:53 minutes duration, filmed November 2010, posted February 2011
Video interview with Eben Pagan, US American Internet marketeer, developer of ten information product brands, Eben Pagan – Compassion, presented by the Money Master Interview, host Anthony Robbins (*1960) US American life coach, motivational speaker, self-help author, YouTube film, 4:33 minutes duration, posted 24. August 2012

Linkless media offerings

Video presentation by Dacher Keltner, Ph.D. (*1962) US American professor of psychology, University of California, Berkeley, director of the Greater Good Science Center, author, Compassion, presented by TEDxBerkeley Talks, recorded 3. April 2010, YouTube film, 18:16 minutes duration, posted 19. June 2010

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Audio and video links (engl.) – Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong (*1944) British former Roman Catholic nun, scholar of comparative religion, "freelance theist", founder of the Charter of Compassion, commentator, author of A History of God, 1993
- Video presentation Suffering and the Power of Compassion, recorded by the event video production company Fora.tv, YouTube film, 3:50 minutes duration, posted 15. September 2009
- Video TV interview ''Karen Armstrong visits Pakistan, presented by the TV program Morning Show Express 24/7, host Huma Amir, YouTube film, 33:07 minutes duration, posted 4. February 2011