Name: Expanding your circle of compassion
Uploaded: 2008-10-31T04:58:00Z
Duration: 17 min 51 s
Description: It's hard to always show compassion -- even to the people we love, but Robert Thurman asks that we develop compassion for our enemies. He prescribes a seven-step meditation exercise to extend compassion beyond our inner circle.

It's hard to always show compassion -- even to the people we love, but Robert Thurman asks that we develop compassion for our enemies. He prescribes a seven-step meditation exercise to extend compassion beyond our inner circle.

Expanding your circle of compassion

True freedom and joy come from expanding compassion beyond personal circles to include all beings, even adversaries. Drawing on a vivid tale of a saint’s 12-year struggle before reaching genuine compassion, the speaker illustrates how even hardship can become a doorway to empathy. A seven-step meditation method helps move from clinging and hostility toward a sense of universal responsibility. This shift not only relieves personal suffering but also sparks a deeper, more lasting happiness.