Welcome to the first Pocket Philosopher newsletter!
We’ll begin with this week’s theme, Compassion, and open with reflections from Tibetan Buddhism.
To begin, a few short notes about this philosophy to help ground us as we briefly study these incredible teachers of compassion.
Tibetan Buddhism is highly monastical and ascetic, drawing people deep into the interior life with practices like breathing, yoga, meditation, and intense rituals designed to help one travel deep into the self.
I once heard a Tibetan teacher say that many religions and philosophies have greatly assisted us in organizing and understanding the outer world, while the teachings of Tibet help us to organize, explore, and harmonize our inner world.
There’s SO much to explore, share, and learn about this incredible history and collection of teachings. But for the purposes of your daily dose of pocket philosophy, let’s focus on a quick history recap, and then a short reflection from the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.
I’ve always been fascinated by the paradox of the non-violent Tibetan Buddhists (who are arguably the world’s greatest practitioners of peace, compassion, and non-violence) and their current geopolitical situation.
They remain at odds with a political enemy. The Tibetans claim sovereignty and independence over their historical kingdom, and the Chinese government likewise claims a historical ownership.
The exiled Tibetan leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, continues to share the carefully mined wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, while peacefully seeking independence for Tibetans through means of diplomacy and non-violent resistance.
I cannot encourage you enough to delve into the history of Tibet for yourself, but today I’ll leave with you a teaching from the Dalai Lama.
The main thought that has long struck me about this approach to compassion, is to see compassion not as a virtue in and of itself, but rather a tool to be leveraged in organizing the interior life. In this light, Compassion is actually a discipline that leads to happiness.
From this perspective, if we seek happiness, compassion is simply the road that leads one to their ultimate destination.
With those incredible words, I’m excited to join you today in cultivating compassion and well-being for others, not for the sake of the virtue itself, but on our path to deeper happiness and inner tranquility.
Please feel free to engage this post,
And if you’re not already, don’t forget to subscribe!
In the meantime, tell your friends!
Together,
Matt the Pocket Philosopher
References:
https://www.dalailama.com/messages/compassion-and-human-values/compassion
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/himalayas/tibet/a/introduction-to-tibetan-buddhism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tibet
Picture: