Study Hall

"Imagine if we went up to someone and said, 'I'd really like to help you, but first you need to clean up your act a little bit. And it would be great too, if you'd be a little nicer to me. Then, yes, I think I could be a big help to you'. We may not actually say this out loud or even be fully conscious of it, but that kind of precondition is sometimes there. That's where our confusion lies in terms of extending our heart of compassion. We want to help people, but at the same time, we have our own requirements they need to meet first. It's like applying for a grant from a charitable foundation. There are pages of prerequisites, conditions and obligations to meet and promises to keep before you get the foundation's support. That's not really the vision of compassion we're talking about. Compassion here begins with a sense of acceptance. It's more of a handshake approach than a prenuptial agreement. We meet and make a connection, and then we work out the details as we go along" - Rebel Buddha, Dzogchen Ponlop.

The sun illluminates Mission Bay and the freeway through the fog this morning