The wisdom that arises when we fully comprehend our interdependence is a force that can dismantle the walls that separate us from others. Compassion, or an altruistic outlook, can have the same effect. Wisdom and compassion can grow from the awareness that we are all absolutely equal in our wish for happiness and in our longing to be free of pain and suffering. Any being that has the capacity to feel pain merits our respect and our concern. Our recognition of this shared yearning can itself awaken a concern for the well-being of another. When we feel it fully as part of our very being, then we will naturally act to alleviate the pain of others and add to their happiness. As such, our vivid awareness that all living beings are perfectly equal in terms of their shared yearning for happiness can be fundamental in reorienting us as we live our interdependence.
17th Karmapa
from the book
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Further quotes from the book Interconnected :
- Limitless aspirations
- When we ignore our interdependence
- Keeping the door to improvement open
- Freedom
- We hold nothing back
- Thinking about the consequences of our collective actions
- Naturalness
- The workings of interdependence
- Being an interdependent individual
- Becoming stuck in a quagmire of self-obsession
- Inner freedom is key
- The ability to experience genuine closeness
- Enthusiastically benefiting whomever we come in contact with
- Our innate ability to connect with others
- Interdependence always works both ways
- Enjoying the goodness of what you are doing
- Concealing our weaknesses
- A Vast and Complex Web of Causality
- A greater sense of possibility
- Cultivating a spirit of generosity