Tag: lovingkindness

For that Presence that I Feel

~ Pressure of Light ~ Leave a comment

You may have noticed a little trick I use in line six to get around having to use the possessive form of the noun for the recipient of compassion. When the noun is a long compound noun, the possessive form is a bit clunky and awkward. That’s certainly the case for that presence that I feel, and since I use no pronouns for this practice, there are even more lines where I have to get around using the possessive. If this is starting to sound more like an English lesson than a compassion lesson, know that by challenging are minds to reconsider and rewrite the particulars of the lines, we can keep their inherent meaning and feelings alive.

I practice compassion for the presence that I feel

With compassion, I free that presence from suffering
With compassion, I help that presence find peace and feel safe in this world
With compassion, I create contentment in the place where I connect with that presence
With compassion, I inspire that presence to flourish

With patience and good humour, I welcome the imperfections of that presence that I feel
With sympathy, I feel for the suffering felt in the place where I connect with that presence
With empathy, I mind what that presence is feeling and try to understand why

For that presence that I feel, I seek wisdom
I nurture a broad perspective
I foster gratefulness
And I acknowledge that suffering and difficulties are part of what’s felt in the place where I connect with that presence that I feel

This one is really wordy, so it’s not likely I would ever use it in a time when I need the practice for emotional support, or when I need a well memorized practice for quick recall. This practice is more for a busy mind that needs complexity. It gives it something to do while at the same refocusing the mind to the rather uncomplicated mission of relieving suffering, indiscriminately, wherever possible. Thank you for exploring this practice with me😄

Photo by Shiyu Zhang

For that Presence that I Feel

~ Pressure of Light

Good morning. I’m very excited to share this practice with you because it’s an example of how this compassion practice becomes an exercise in writing and grammar, thus temporarily drawing the focus away from the main objective, to build compassion, and breaking the hypnotic feel the practice can get once it feels so repetitive that the words start to lose their meaning. We will dive deeply into how to work with the practice in this way over many sessions, but for now, here is what I’ve been working on for the past week or so:

I practice compassion for that presence that I feel

With compassion, I free that presence from suffering
With compassion, I help that presence find peace and feel safe in this world
With compassion, I create contentment in the place where I connect with that presence
With compassion, I inspire that presence to flourish

With patience and good humour, I welcome the imperfections of that presence
With sympathy, I feel for the suffering that’s felt in the place where I observe that presence
With empathy, I mind what that presence is feeling and try to understand why

For that presence that I feel, I seek wisdom
I nurture a broad perspective
I foster gratefulness
And I acknowledge that suffering and difficulties are part of what’s felt in the place where I connect with that presence

Down the road, I’ll explain more about the thinking behind my invention of this practice. What’s important to see now is that certain parts of the base practice are open to modification, while others are meant to stay static. What changes and what doesn’t is something I’ve decided on through years of experimentation. These are not rules set in stone, but when working with and re-writing the practice, it’s important to find balance between consistency in how the practice lives in our minds and small evolutions that re-engages our thinking and emotions. Thank you for practicing with me today and in the coming sessions😄

Photo by Shiyu Zhang