A Mind for Compassion

Join Paul and Choden for a 3-day retreat exploring the application of wisdom to the practice ofcompassion. Choden will draw on the ancient wisdom of Advaita Vedanta andTibetan Buddhism to show how wisdom is the inseparable twin of compassion. Hewill lead people step by step through the practice of emptiness leading tonon-dual awareness which lays the ground for the spontaneous arising of compassionlike the sun that effortlessly shines in a cloudless sky. Paul will show howthe biological drivers of compassion can be linked to a transformed view ofconsciousness evidenced by groundbreaking new scientific research. Both willshow how the ancient wisdom of the East can be combined with the modern scienceof the West to chart a path to compassion and wisdom that is unique and transformative.The retreat will have a strong experiential focus with a combination of guidedreflection, compassionate imagery, and wisdom practices.

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Further Details

This 3-day retreat willexplore how compassion can be approached from both an Evolutionary and Buddhistperspective and how wisdom is an integral part of compassion.

At the heart of CompassionFocused Therapy (CFT) - rooted in an evolutionary approach to mind - is theinvitation to align oneself with a compassion motivation and draw on evolvedcognitive and physiological capacities to respond to the difficult experiencesof life. Research shows how this compassionate orientation transforms our mindand how this is reflected in altered brain states. Compassion literally changesour brain for the better.

In Buddhism compassionatemotivation is expressed by the term bodhicitta that is a deep commitmentto alleviate suffering and its causes and bring all living beings to a state ofpeerless freedom. Meditating without bodhicitta is seen as pointless andself-serving, while meditating in the service of bodhicitta changes everything– ourselves, those we are connected to and the world we live in.

Central to both the Evolutionaryand Buddhist approaches is the importance of wisdom. In Buddhism compassionwithout wisdom is called ‘idiot compassion’. In CFT wisdom is a core element ofcompassion. It is the understanding that emerges from having lived through difficulttimes in life and coming through the other side with a wisdom of directexperience that can then help others in a similar situation.  

In Buddhism wisdom has adifferent meaning and refers to the complementary truths of emptiness andawareness. Emptiness points to the fact that all our struggles and suffering inlife are like being under a spell – one might say the spell cast by theevolutionary mechanisms that build our bodies and brains and have us at theirmercy. They are not real yet they hurt. And because they hurt, compassion isvery important. Awareness or rigpa refers to the ground of our beingthat is inherently free and at peace despite all the ups and downs of ourlives. In the Mahayana tradition it is called Buddha Nature. When wepractice emptiness and compassion together this brings us home to the ground ofour being which is like touching a place of sanity and peace in the midst ofthe complexity and confusion that life throws at us.

Paul and Choden will showhow the Buddhist and CFT approaches to compassion can complement each other andenrich our lives. In particular, Paul will explore how groundbreaking newscientific studies showing that consciousness is the ground of our being(rather than being the product of highly evolved brain systems) brings the CFT approachto compassion into closer alignment with the ancient wisdom of Buddhism.

Paul and Choden will guide aseries of compassion and wisdom practices that show how the approaches ofBuddhism and CFT can complement and support each other. These will include somewisdom practices for opening the door to emptiness and touching the unchangingawareness within.

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