“If you are a Buddhist, inspire yourself by thinking of the bodhisattva. If you are a Christian, think of the Christ, who came not to be served by others but to serve them in joy, in peace, and in generosity. For these things, these are not mere words, but acts, which go all the way, right up to their last breath. Even their death is a gift, and resurrection is born from this kind of death. (157)”
Jean-Yves Leloup“It [speaking with words that bring about harmony] consists of speaking of what is good about people, instead of what is wrong with them. For some people this is an almost impossible exercise, for they have become totally habituated to speaking critically. We all seem to have a special talent for finding critical things to say about the world, about others, and about ourselves! (117)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“Quoting Father Seraphim:Our life hangs only by a breath. It is the thread that links you to the Father, the Source, which brought you into being. Be conscious of this thread, and go where you will. (27)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“To be grounded in an attitude of compassion is to be capable of receiving and welcoming the suffering, which the other is giving us. This does not mean that we suffer for them, but that we offer them possibility of going beyond the separate self in which suffering is harbored. (59)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“What is the real origin of my own anger? Is it the ego defending its territory, or is it something that has its source in the desire for the well-being of all? (73)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“[W]e need not become fixated upon our own suffering, whatever its origin. We offer it up, thus participating in the well-being of the universe. When we experience an illness or depression not as our own but as the universe’s, we are one with all beings who experience this kind of suffering. (78)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“Do not believe anything merely because you are told it is so, because others believe it, because it comes from Tradition, or because you have imagined it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect. Believe, take for your doctrine, and hold true to that, which, after serious investigation, seems to you to further the welfare of all beings. (47)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“The depth of our compassion is proportional to the depth of our living. (65)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“In certain situations, manifesting anger is the right attitude; in others it is not the right thing to manifest because it will only add to the violence. In the first case, anger unblocks the conflict and causes another to become more conscious. In the latter, it only adds to the unconsciousness and inflames the conflict. (73)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“[C]hange your thinking, your interpretation of he world, change the way you see! To change the way you see is to change the world. (50)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity“The ego is like a clever monkey, which can co-opt anything, even the most spiritual practices, so as to expand itself. (155)”
Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity