Fearless Compassion

Fearless Compassion

Awakened heart, Awakened mind-- generating fearless compassion.

"Compassion is based on some sense of 'soft spot' in us.  It is as if we had a pimple on our body that was very sore--so sore that we do not want to rub it or scratch it.  During our shower, we do not want to rub too much soap over it because it hurts.  There is a sore point or soft spot that happens to be painful to rub, painful to put hot or cold water over.  That sore spot on our body is an analogy for compassion.  Why?  Because even in the midst of immense aggression, insensitivity in our life, or laziness, we always have a soft spot, some spoint we can cuktivate-- or at least not bruise.  Every human being has that kind of basic sore spot, including animals.  Whether we are crazy, dull, aggressive, ego-tripping, whatever we might be, there is still that sore spot taking place in us.  An open wound, which might be a more vivid analogy, is always there.  That open wound is usually very inconvenient and problematic.  We don't like it.  We would like to be tough.  We would like to fight, to come out strong, so we do not have to defend any aspect of ourselves.  We would like to attack our enemy on the spot, single-handedly.  We would like to lay our trips on everybody completely and properly, so that  we have nothing to hide.  That way, if somebody decides to hit us back, we are not wounded.  And hopefully, nobody will hit us on that sore spot, that wound that exists in us.  Our basic makeup, the basic constituents of mind, are based on passion and compassion at the same time.  But however confused we might be, however much of a cosmic monster we might be, still there is an open wound or sore spot in us always.  There will always be a sore spot."

The path of the bodhisattva is based on genuine love for "other."   
Having experienced "the truth of suffering" as the simultaneous collapse of habitual mind's deluded machinations with the momentary glimpse of freedom beyond habitual reference point we realizes that our path depends on engaging what is perceived as "other."  

"Holding our seat" in our coemergent panic attack-- we discover a warrior's heart.  This heart is a broken heart-- which is the experience of genuine compassion.  When engaged in this way through tonglen and the six paramita's our awakened heart/awareness extends to all the hidden corners of our experience.  
Genuine compassion and the warrior's heart of sadness allows our momentary glimpse to expand into the experience of non referential awareness or sunyatha-- emptiness and compassion.