A Story of Compassion

Category Compassion, Guest Bloggers, Love

I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a true story about a woman who once attended my workshops, and is on a spiritual path like all of you. This woman was walking alone in Central Park in New York City at night. A man jumped out from behind the bushes, put a gun to her head, and started raping her. She looked deeply into this man’s eyes, and she could see he was overcome with fear and incredible pain. She began gently stroking his face. “It’s ok,” she said “It’s ok. It’s ok. I love you.” The man stopped immediately and broke into tears. “No one has ever told me they loved me,” he said. “Ever. Not even my parents.” This woman’s compassion touched this man so deeply that it changed his whole life. “This park is dangerous,” he said. “I’ll walk with you and keep you safe.

- David Deida

Wow…

Imagine a person that rooted in Love that even something as intense as being raped can’t shake them from their core of being.

Unconditional Love. Yeah baby!

Do you think you could respond in this way in the heat of the moment? Can you think of another way to respond that is also rooted in Love?

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6 Responses to “A Story of Compassion”

Scarface said:

How I would respond, would depend upon what kind of feeling would arise in me. Sometimes compassion may arise, sometimes fear may arise, sometimes anger may arise, etc.. But for me now is more important what my (deeper) attitude towards whatever happens is.

Ariel Bravy Reply:
December 12th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Sounds like a pretty spiritual answer.

Scarface Reply:
December 13th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Yeah, for me at this moment it’s the only answer. The background of this is as follows.
I always was (and still am) concerned mostly with my personal happiness. And I wanted to become a compassionate person to myself and others. Now I was (and am) in general pretty compassionate/understanding/loving. But not in all situations, because some times some other “energy” would take over (fear/frustration/etc.).
Now, afterwards thinking about it, this was for me the cause of some unhappiness. Because I created in my head a “perfect way of behaving” in all situations, and that my way of doing all things should be done in mode of love/compassion. And in those situations that love/compassion was not there, that was the cause of some frustration/unhappiness in me. I was like saying stuff to myself afterwrads, “I (or A loving person) should not act/be that way.”
So I thought about it, and asked myself. Why does this create unhappiness? And the answer I came was that I should just allow whatever mode I got in and accept that. And then those (re)actions done in (fear/frustration/etc.) wouldn’t cause unhappiness anymore. And for me that “attitude” has helped be stay more relaxed/in peace/happy. Which actually had as a side-effect, that the amount of my actions done in modes of fear/frustration have actually diminished (unexpectedly).
Ismaelia said:

I would release my resistance and surrender to the moment as much as possible knowing everything happens for a reason. We attracted each other for a reason. I would ask for help from within. Whatever would arise from that moment is meant to be but being able to look into his eyes is so amazing!!!
Ismaelia said:

What is a “perfect way of behaving”? Isn’t that a judgment? Don’t judgments come from the ego/mind and lead us away from our center/source/heart? I find that when I love/live in acceptance there is no room for fear of any kind. So then I ask myself why is it so hard for me to remain in that fearless place? Then I see that as a thought/concept/judgment again coming from a place of fear so I release that and return to a loving awareness in acceptance without judgment and remind myself that this is where I want to be but desire to desire it in a non-attached way which is revealing itself as an energy block for me right now.So once again I return to acceptance…oh boy

Ariel Bravy Reply:
December 18th, 2008 at 1:21 am
So Ismaelia, what if you were to drop all your beliefs, all your theories, and all your ideas. What would be left?

To intellectually understand is one thing, to know from within is another.

If you were to stop trying to understand by coming from the assumption that you don’t know, you may very well find that you already know the answer to every question you can ask.

Then again, maybe not. Wanna find out?

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