Romper Room

Romper RoomRemember Romper Room on TV when you were a kid? Well, maybe not if you are too young.
The show had a lady who would look in a magic mirror, and see everyone watching the show, and call you out by name.
Well, today I feel this way about you- my readers.
I see you, and I see you are sad. Why are you so sad?
Is your Mom or Dad sick or dying? Are your children or grandchildren far away from you, as mine are.
Has a friend betrayed you, and you feel deeply hurt?
Did you lose someone close to you, and their memory and the emptiness haunt you?
Perhaps you are simply lonely, and feel abandoned.
Are any of these sadness’s greater than the other? For each of us, I would guess our sadness seems the most powerful and relevant.
But the Buddha taught that it is in this comparing, that we cause our self more suffering.
What if you could see that we all suffer, with no comparison? And that there truly is a way from this suffering.
But when you feel this pain, we all tend to attach to it. It is our pain, and no one else can feel what we feel or completely understand.
But you are wrong. We all feel this pain, and I feel this pain. I feel your pain right now.
And in this moment, I am sending you my loving kindness and deepest compassion.
Because in this moment, we can also choose to see the beauty and harmony. Be aware of this, be mindful.
Joy and happiness are all around you. It is all around me, and I am so grateful for this.
I am grateful to share your suffering and I am grateful to share your joy.
Please know that we are in this existence together. You are not alone.

Simply opening your view and awareness, you can see the abundant love and beauty that surrounds you. You only need open your eyes and see. This is my prayer for you.

May you see this today and every day. And may you always be well, happy and peaceful.

Namaste

Sogyal Rinpoche, from Glimpse of the Day:

“The times when you are suffering can be those when you are open, and where you are extremely vulnerable can be where your greatest strength really lies.
Say to yourself: “I am not going to run away from this suffering. I want to use it in the best and richest way I can, so that I can become more compassionate and more helpful to others.” Suffering, after all, can teach us about compassion. If you suffer, you will know how it is when others suffer. And if you are in a position to help others, it is through your suffering that you will find the understanding and compassion to do so.”

“Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion…is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception.”