28 The Common Ground of Compassion

from Spring 2011 Shamatha Retreat · host B Alan Wallace

Alan Wallace guides a 24-minute meditation on compassion, asking the question, "How can we be free from suffering?" He teaches the use of a visualization of a radiant orb of light at one's heart, metaphorically representing one's own Buddhanature, into which one draws in one's own or others' suffering, and then observes its incineration in the blazing brilliance of the orb of light. The guided meditation begins at 19:40. After the meditation, Alan speaks freely for a while, then answers the following two questions: 1. After hearing your story about the yogi who was totally supported in his pursuit of dharma, despite having no financial resources of his own, I am curious about the circumstances in which students of yours have been able to go into solitary retreat. How does one live a life of solitude in retreat? 2. What is really happening in the practice we did today? Does it have any measurable effect outside of my mind? How do thoughts, feelings, and aspiration differ in their effects?

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28 The Common Ground of Compassion

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