the Contemplation on Compassion

The current news is affecting our minds and our ability to find peace. How can we find peace with the current events disturbing our minds?

Our mind may be extremely disturbed by the influence of the recent wars or shooting incidents, and it is difficult to calm down; however, as long as we try to deeply explore this "uneasy mind", we will find that it is mixed with sympathy, anger, worry, sadness, etc.

In the midst of all these complex emotional thoughts, try to focus on the emotions that are more helpful to our practice, such as: sympathy, empathy, etc.  Make good use of those emotions to strengthen our practice of “the Contemplation on Compassion” (Karuna Bhavana).

The focus of the practice of "Compassion" is to eliminate the suffering of all sentient beings, and hope that all sentient beings will be free from physical pain and inner fear.  We keep blessing in our heart: “I hope that the residents living in the war can live a stable life as soon as possible; I hope that those who have lost their loved ones because of the shooting incident can pack up their minds as soon as possible, and face their life and future with strength and wisdom.”

Therefore, every time we encounter distressing and disturbing news, let’s think of "Karuna Bhavana". At that very moment, we wish all sentient beings to stay away from suffering, and on the other hand, we calm our mind and let it calm down gradually.

Meditation during near death

When you have a death or near death experience during a meditation session...how should we deal with this? Should we transform these fear based experiences into a learning experience?

In fact, people who still do not forget to meditate before dying are people with excellent psychological qualities (wholesome mind) such as right mindfulness, right concentration, and right understanding.

In order to eliminate or transform the "fear of death", Mahayana Buddhism often use "Buddhānusmṛti". By remembering the Buddha’s Name and his virtues, they can increase their confidence and mindfulness, thereby dispelling fear and anxiety.

Theravada Buddhism also has the practice of "Buddhānusmṛti (reciting the Buddha)", but "Ānāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing)" is always the first choice.  Let our mind rest in the present moment of every breath, so as to eliminate the fear in our mind.

In fact, among the many spiritual practice methods of Buddhism, there is another method called "Maraṇasati".

Maraṇasati (mindfulness of death, death awareness) is a Buddhist meditation practice of remembering (frequently keeping in mind) that death can strike at anytime (AN 6.20), and we should practice assiduously and with urgency in every moment.

However, whether this method is suitable for everyone to practice, it varies from person to person.  For some, who can definitely gain wisdom and confidence in facing life through the visualization of death. But there are also some people who are very afraid of death in the very first place OR always have a pessimistic and negative attitude towards life, and if they visualize various phenomena related to death, it may cause either bad or harmful effects for their practice. That’s why this method is mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, but it is not widely used, or even known to some Buddhist practitioners.

Further reading:

Maraṇasati Is for All of Us by Margaret Meloni

Death Awareness by Larry Rosenberg