Radical Compassion

What is compassion? Much more than just being nice, compassion is about looking deeply at ourselves and others and recognizing the fundamental goodness we all share. It’s about opening up to the vulnerable space inside every one of us and letting our barriers down. And it’s about daring to be present to ourselves and others with genuine love and kindness. Empowering personal awakening and social change, it might be the most radical and transformative thing we can do. The cultivation of compassion has long been at the core of Naropa University’s mission, since its origins in 1974—and its students and faculty have been leaders in contemplative education with heart. In celebration of Naropa’s fortieth anniversary, Shambhala Publications is pleased to offer these teachings on the path of compassion from a collection of authors who have helped shape the school’s unique and innovative identity, including: • Chögyam Trungpa on opening ourselves more and more to love the whole of humanity • Dzogchen Ponlop on how to cultivate altruism with the help of a spiritual mentor • Judith L. Lief on the common obstacles to compassion and how to overcome them • Gaylon Ferguson on awakening human-heartedness in oneself and society amidst everyday life • Diane Musho Hamilton on connecting to natural empathy and taking a compassionate approach to conflict resolution • Reginald A. Ray on spiritual practices for developing the enlightened mind and heart in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition • Ringu Tulku on the practices of bodhisattvas, those who devote themselves to the path of enlightenment for the sake of all beings • Pema Chödrön on building up loving-kindness for oneself and others with help from traditional Buddhist slogans • Ken Wilber on what it really means to be a support person, with reflections from his own life • Karen Kissel Wegela on avoiding caregiver’s burnout and staying centered amidst our efforts to help those in need • and reflections on Naropa University and the meaning of radical compassion from longstanding faculty member Judith Simmer-Brown