Contemplative Dyads

To counteract the rascal, we arouse bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings. Then we progressively practice in three stages. First, we contemplate the equality of ourselves and others. This enables us to practice tonglen, the exchange of self and other. Finally, we train ourselves to care for others more than ourselv

Compassion takes this capacity to look at another sentient being as equal to oneself even further. Its basic meaning is “feeling with,” a recognition that what you feel, I feel. Anything that hurts you hurts me. Anything that helps you helps me. Compassion, in Buddhist terms, is a complete identification with others and an active readiness to help

Both these centering practices will strengthen identification with the objective, compassionate self-observer. Once you have the ability to identify with the witness, you can use your period of meditation for working with your immature selves, and for listening to the guidance of your enlightened selves.

By optimizing the brain’s full capacity for social learning, these practices expand the mind’s openness to shared introspection and corrective dialogue; and by cultivating that shift in a stable, supportive social learning environment, they sustain that openness though repeated practice over time. As a result, they facilitate a gradual dismantling