Let’s explore one more way a visualized compassion animal can practice for us, by visualizing them tell us we practice compassion for ourselves and others. It’s a bit of a convoluted visual, but when it helps it really helps:
You practice compassion for yourself and others
With compassion, you free yourself and others from suffering
With compassion, you help yourself find peace and feel safe in this world
With compassion, you create contentment in this life
With compassion, you inspire yourself and others to flourish
With patience and good humour, you welcome other people’s imperfections, and with patience and good humour, you welcome your own imperfections
With sympathy, you feel for those who suffer, yourself included
With empathy, you mind what others are feeling and try to understand why, and you mind what you’re feeling and try to understand why
For yourself and others, you seek wisdom
You nurture a broad perspective
You foster gratefulness
And you acknowledge that suffering and difficulties are part of life
Sometimes my mind visualizes a vicious wolf, or some negative, unwanted imagery instead. The last three compassion practices soften our imagery, and strongly associates our visualizations, like a visualization of a compassion animal, with compassionate feelings. Thank you for practicing this special technique with me😅