Cultivating Karuna
Thursday Evening Online Program
May 26, 2022, 7:00 to 8:45 pm Eastern TimeDear Still Water Friends,
In my twenties, I felt overwhelmed and paralyzed with grief from low self-esteem about my visual impairment. I was depressed. One powerful source of support was my therapist. He showed me mindful breathing and body-awareness practices that helped me begin to accept myself as I was. What was especially nourishing for me was his ability to listen in a caring, calm way, to offer karuna (compassion). This experience taught me how important it is to hold a caring, calm space and to listen to another with compassion.
In a Mindfulness Bell article from 1997, Thich Nhat Hanh writes: The second aspect of true love is karuna, the intention and capacity to relieve and transform suffering... Continued