Been meaning to make another post, but with an upcoming move next week things have been a little bit all over the place as of late (mentally and otherwise). My best times for (not) thinking are while I'm running and driving my car...both of which are not ideal times for writing. I usually think of the "best things ever" at those points and despite convincing myself that I will not forget, my mental flow carries on and things get lost in the waves of thought. In hindsight, most of the ideas aren't so great, but if a kernel of an idea stays afloat, then it "makes the cut"...so to speak.
Recently, I have been in the midst of like 10 books, like usual. Variety is good, but I think after I finish a few of them, I am going to impose some limitations (which I have obviously said to myself in the past). But, much like life, a lot of varied input is a good way to see similarities in the world. In rereading Life Force: The World of Jainism by Michael Tobias and reading (for the first time) Speaking of Śiva (free-verse sayings from the Virasaiva religious movement) and Aparokshanubhuti: Or Self-Realization of Sri Sankaracharya translated by Swami Vimuktananda (a classic Advaita treatise on non-duality of God), I began to perceive some universal truths.
Though all three of these are from different schools of Indian religious thought, a common thread is the (divine) connection to other beings beyond the divisions of bodies and other impositions of the material world: Jainism through the idea of one soul is all souls, Virasaivism through union of the soul with Śiva (the supreme God) and Advaita philosophy through each "individual" soul actually being Brahman (or the divine God). While these are not comparable paths, the motivation of interconnection of souls stuck with me as a valid way to experience the world in which we exist; where one's actions can drastically affect every relationship within their spiritual and physical ecosystems, especially given the ideas of karma and "reaping what is sown" in each of these three philosophies.
This practice is a clear remedy for the violence of separation against "the other" that I wrote about in the last post. In Jainism, violence against any living being is violence against self, both karmically and philosophically. I can see Advaita being a similar view, as it sees all beings as manifestations of one divinity. Extended to actions, the clear path is, therefore, nonviolence. On the base level, foundation of life on violence will perpetuate injury of self and others. Violence of speech, action or motivation will only lead to more violence and accent divisions between physical beings. On a karmic level, all souls will suffer from violence (both the "doer" and the victim). Compassionate action, rooted in nonviolence, stands as a means of not only helping oneself to realize the true connection between beings, but also fosters empathy and loving-kindness while strengthening spiritual and communal bonds and lessening suffering and violence in the world.
Why am I bringing this up? In my own life, I see compassion as a very important practice. Over the past 6 years or so, my dog Laika has been suffering from several recurrences of a mast cell tumor on her back. She has undergone 3 surgeries, 17 radiation treatments and chemotherapy (for the past 8 months). Her quality of life is still good and she remains a happy and goofy lady, but each day her treatment requires lots of medication and various other things (like changing her t-shirt and applying herbs to the tumor area). Thankfully, I have pet insurance for Laika, so it hasn't been a huge financial nightmare, but it has been a lot of work. When I tell people everything that she (and I) have gone through, they sometimes ask why I would do this for a dog? At first, I was questioning the lengths to which I would go to for her healthcare as well, but when anyone (loved-one or otherwise) is suffering or has the potential to suffer...it is the choice of the caretaker to ensure that suffering is abated.
At first, I was just sad to see her battling cancer and wanted to do everything that I could to help from a sympathetic view. As I explored myself and my beliefs more deeply, I realized that compassionate action was/is the motivation for my choices to continue with her treatment. I am not trying to prolong her life for my own benefit, I am making conscious decisions to help her live a life of minimal suffering from her condition. I know that to some degree, all living beings experience pain and illness. This is a fact that we all want to ignore. However, given my views that all beings are united in divine (and mundane) existence, building empathy through compassion and love is a very real means of spiritual practice. At times, it has been hard to separate selfish motivations for wanting Laika to live a long life from truly acting to relieve her suffering...but as I have read and experienced more Jain, Hindu and Buddhist teachings, I have begun to see that these opportunities for selfless, compassionate action are a two-way street, in which multiple lives are positively affected and real empathy is experienced.
Putting a positive spin on illness is hard, especially when one is a caretaker/guardian that has to make decisions based on non-verbal observations, gut-feelings and doctors' recommendations for a loved-one. But discovering the path of compassionate action and service to others has been one of the most positive aspect of taking care of Laika. Sometimes I think that she is a guru of sorts, who is teaching me really important lessons about how to live a life in which my decisions are consciously based on the well-being of all. Certainly, this is no easy path, but as one soul is all souls, I feel that lessening the suffering of one is, in turn, lessening the suffering of all.
The next step, especially when applied in conjunction with the course on Nonviolent Communication, is to integrate the motivation for selfless, compassionate action into all aspects of my life. I know this will not be an easy process, but with opportunities constantly arising, I will have plenty of time to learn from successes and mistakes along the path.
in a different way
in a strange way
we are all the same
- m.i.a. "it's hard to say you're wrong"
in a different way
in a strange way
we are all the same
- m.i.a. "it's hard to say you're wrong"
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