Compassion,
Noun
1. A Feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by
misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
- Illustrative story of horses : Leo shares the story of horses from Dennis Genpo Merzel's book, where a lead male horse kills a struggling newborn that cannot stand, contrasting with the females attempting nurturing encouragement. This exemplifies that compassion can take both nurturing (feminine) and pragmatic (masculine) forms.
- Common assumption of feminine compassion : Leo notes the common bias towards perceiving compassion as "feminine," being soft and nurturing, whereas "masculine" compassion is often overlooked, which involves pragmatic and sometimes stern actions.
- Stereotypical gender associations with compassion : He clarifies that masculine and feminine approaches to compassion are not directly tied to physical gender but are stereotypical tendencies, suggesting that individuals can exhibit either irrespective of their gender.
- Video content delivery approaches : Leo reflects on his personal balance between using masculine or feminine methods in his videos, indicating the appropriateness of one over the other depends on the viewer's situation.
- Relationship ending and compassion choices : Leo recounts an episode from his life where he delayed ending a relationship that wasn't working out. He recognizes that a swift, masculine approach might have caused less suffering in the long run compared to prolonged, soft handling.
- Hiring and firing decisions : Using the example of an employee not meeting expectations, Leo illustrates how either a masculine approach (swift firing) or feminine approach (offering support and time to improve) can be valid, depending on the specifics.
- Child discipline : When discussing child discipline, Leo highlights that both masculine and feminine methods can be effective or counterproductive. Building good judgment on which to use comes from experience and oftentimes from making mistakes.
- Development of wisdom through experience : Leo emphasizes that the right approach to compassion is something learned over time, through trial and error, leading to better judgment in future situations.
- Tendency to favor one approach over another : He observes that individuals may naturally lean towards using either the masculine or feminine approach to compassion more competently, which can be a limitation when flexibility is required.
- Rigidity in Applying Compassion Approaches : Some individuals may be adept at using either a masculine or feminine compassion approach but become rigid, defaulting to their usual method even when it's inappropriate for the situation, like using a hammer for a screw instead of a screwdriver.
- Abuse of Masculine Compassion as Excuse for Poor Behavior : Leo cautions against misusing the guise of masculine compassion to rationalize unkind or selfish behavior, emphasizing integrity in ensuring actions are genuinely for the benefit of others.
- Correlation Between Consciousness and Compassion : Leo has observed through his studies on enlightenment that as a person's conscious awareness increases, so does their capacity for compassion, because they begin to identify with a broader reality beyond their individual self.
- Enlightenment Experience and Compassion : Sharing a retreat participant's story, Leo highlights how an enlightenment experience can lead to a profound sense of unity and compassion with others' feelings, demonstrating that deep compassion arises from an expanded awareness.
- Practical Exercise for Compassion Flexibility : Leo suggests an exercise to identify one's default compassion approach and then consciously apply the opposite approach in an upcoming situation to develop balance and the skill to discern the most effective compassion strategy.
- Encouragement to Explore Higher States of Consciousness : Leo motivates viewers to consider the possibility of higher states of consciousness that are rarely pursued and could lead to significant personal growth and expanded compassion.