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Misconceptions about compassion

Misconceptions about compassion

Part of a series of teachings based on Living with an Open Heart: Cultivating Compassion in Everyday Life sponsored by Tibet House Germany in Frankfurt, Germany, April 15 to April 17, 2016. The teachings are in English with German translation.

  • Confusing compassion with pity or feeling sorry for everyone
  • Acting with compassion means seeing others as equal to us
  • Compassion is not always saying yes to make everyone happy
  • Compassion is not trying to fix everyone’s problems
  • Understanding what compassionate motivation and compassionate behavior are
  • Changing how we view situations to overcome habitual reactions

Living With an Open Heart 03 Frankfurt (download)

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.