When we look into the great religious and spiritual traditions, the wisdom legacy of all humanity, we find in each an ethic of compassion based on the deepest truth of our spiritual identity as one, unified life. Knowing this truth is revealed in acts of simple kindness which reflect the deep beneficence inherent to such a world view. Scholar Karen Armstrong, in her book, The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions, observes that the illumined sages who provided the seminal influences on the origins of the major faiths were less concerned with abstract philosophical concepts about the nature of God than they were interested in the actualization of ethical behaviors or a compassionate life which they considered essential for any real encounter with God or higher truth.
All the sages preached a spirituality of empathy and compassion; they insisted that people must abandon their egotism and greed, their violence and unkindness…Each tradition developed its own formulation of the Golden Rule: do not do to others what you would not have done to you. As far as the Axial sages were concerned, respect for the sacred rights of all beings—not orthodox belief—was religion. If people behaved with kindness and generosity to their fellows, they could save the world.
To simply be kind, to offer respect to one another in our interactions, is a basic guideline for how to live and get along well with others, yet it is not always so easy to do. Why is that? We certainly feel better about ourselves when our thoughts, speech and actions are harmonious, contributing to our own happiness and that of others. It isn’t pleasant to be unkind, to go through life with the proverbial chip on our shoulder, having interactions that leave upset and suffering in their wake. Yet most of us experience this less than ideal way of relating to others, primarily due to two factors: first, a lack of spiritual realization and second, a need for specific relational skills and practice. We must be aware of the truth of who we and others are, and we need to learn how to relate based on this truth. This takes practice.
Acts of loving-kindness are expressions of our innate divine nature. It is interesting to note that the Old English origins of the word kind mean natural or innate. The basis for developing loving-kindness is not self-improvement, rather it is self realization—knowing the spiritual truth about ourselves and others and acting in accordance with that knowledge.
A story is told about the great Master Yunmen who was asked by an aspiring monk, “What was it that the Buddha taught his entire life?” Yunmen answered, “An appropriate response.” Loving-kindness is the appropriate response from one who is awake to their nature as Supreme Consciousness, one with all that is. It is the appropriate response to all who are that same Supreme Consciousness which is expressing as each individual. Therefore, the first practice for cultivating loving-kindness is recognizing what is so. All of life is God in expression.
Think About It: Altruism—including kindness, generosity, and compassion—are keys to the social connections that are so important to our happiness. Research finds that acts of kindness—especially spontaneous, out-of-the ordinary ones—can boost happiness in the person doing the good deed. -On Altruism and Happiness from pbs.org
Be Inspired: When my guru, Roy Eugene Davis, was asked about the key to long-lasting and fulfilling relationships, he replied, “Be kind to one another.”
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