Teaching #16: Opening to the Dukkha of Others
The Buddha tells us that universal suffering, even in all its horrific quantity and variety, must be felt and fully received…It is only when you have seen for yourself the truth that dukkha is everywhere and therefore unavoidable that you are able to realize that depending upon life going according to your wishes and plans is not a reliable path to happiness. Once the rational mind comes face-to-face with suffering on a global and individual scale, it cannot deny the reality of dukkha.
Chapter 5, pg. 52
For your reflection: Notice what your mind does when you hear about a terrible human tragedy through the news media. Does it tune out, become agitated, or cloud over? Observe your reaction: can you stay connected such that the suffering of others feels real to you without collapsing into despair or falling into sentimentality?