Eckhartd Tolle, “Meditations on Eckhart Tolle” quote: “Compassion is the awareness of a deep bond between yourself and all creatures.” 

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In the dual world we live in joy and sorrow are separated so we chase one and avoid the other. But in compassion they are One. But how can this be? How can categorical opposites be One simultaneously, and in this One there is no choice between one or the other. Their separation disappears into something entirely new that has never existed before in your life. Compassion is the funeral pyre of your separate sense of self.

What is it like when opposite meet and merge? All master cooks know. Lovers know. Artists know. Even warriors know. “Night and Day…you are the One.” In this Cole Porter song you can feel the vibrant energy in the exquisite yearning for the One. Compassion is the fire of the Heart. When we separate heaven from hell, the cool from the heat, we can’t go into compassion, for in compassion heaven and hell are One.

When the Buddha said upon awakening: “Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the most honored On,” he was describing compassion as compassion.

When opposite not only meet but become One, what happens? Think about this. Form cannot meet and become one with form, because no matter how you break it down, you still have opposite forms. Form exists because it has an opposite. So how can forms become the One without a second, and yet still be two? This is the great mystery. When we experience it, we call it Wonder. It blows our mind. The Ultimate Close Encounter. I want to explore this in todays talk. I’m not afraid to jump into this fire. Let’s go!