Is Your Compassion Pure?

When you are helping others you're hoping for a good outcome. But it can't be that you're going to have a better time with them. Does everybody see that it is subtle? You guys aren’t looking at the subtlety of how attachment works. A pure and compassionate engagement is when you are not gonna get something in return if it works out for them. In fact, you might even have less of their time if it works out but you still give them good advice because there's no attachment. 

But rarely are there moments where you don’t have any hidden interest in their attention. As soon as there is a hidden interest in the attention, there's attachment. Then the information that you're giving them is like, yeah…good information. 

To be very pure in your compassion is not easy because once you get to that place, you don't care enough to pay any attention. That's a real great irony. As soon as you have an opportunity to be a bodhisattva, a really strange thing happens: You don't care about the outcome because there's nothing in it for you. To sustain this kind of care over time where you will get nothing in return is not easy. You're not going to find many moments that you've ever done that or come across that. 

Is this compassion pure and has nothing to do with your identity or getting something in return? It’s very difficult to have that kind of heartfulness. You have to work on that over time because there's always something there you want and you have to get past where you are. 

At this point in time, look at what's actually there when you are trying to be compassionate. I wouldn't suggest you look for what's not there. Look into every exchange you have with others and I think you'll find something surprising every time. You'll have to go past where you are not be so influenced by the attachments if you're going to take the next step and engage in compassionate care.

[From talks given on December 28 2022]