“Hold yourself as a mother holds her beloved child.”
— The Buddha (Karaniya Metta Sutta)
In the summer of 2009, I had the joy of spending almost half a day in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at an international gathering. At the last minute, I was asked to summarize his keynote and then moderate a dialogue with him and other religious leaders. Even now, I get goosebumps remembering the moment when I first met him. Lalitha and I were standing in a crowded hotel lobby when he finally arrived. One by one, we were invited to greet him. When my turn came, I bowed and offered a silk scarf. He placed it gently back on my shoulders, then pulled me close until our foreheads touched. Looking me in the eye, he said, “I am so glad to meet you. I look forward to seeing you again.”
In that instant, everything else disappeared. I felt held in a love that was tender and radiant, steady and unconditional. It was as if compassion itself had wrapped its arms around me.
What has stayed with me just as deeply is his laughter – rich, belly-shaking, filled with joy. Here is someone who lost his homeland, who carries the grief of his people’s suffering, and yet he laughs. Not because he is naïve or blind to injustice, but because his compassion frees him to live with joy even in the midst of sorrow.
Compassion, the Dalai Lama reminds us, begins with ourselves. To live awake is to hold ourselves as a mother holds her beloved child: tenderly, fiercely, without letting go. From there, compassion ripples outward: to family and neighbor, even to those we find hardest to love. This is not easy work. But it is the way of awakening, and the path that allows us to embody the love that will not us go.
In faith,
Rev. Abhi Janamanchi
Reflection Questions from Soul Matters Small Group Materials
- If asked, would your family members say you are good at being compassionate with yourself?
- If you could magically find a way to be more compassionate with one person in your life, who would it be? And why?
- Tell me about a time when you were offered compassion in an unexpected or unique way.
