mindfulness based compacionate living

1. • Equanimity
• Motivation and compassion in action
• Practical ethics
• How can I continue
Session 7+8
COMPASSION IN DAILY LIFE
THE HEALING POWER OF COMPASSION

2. Equanimity
• Impartiality
• Medicine in case of pride, arrogance and over-
identification. Pitfall: Indifference.
• Equanimity means opening the heart equally to
whatever appears.
• Broadmindedness
• Exercises:
Equanimity, The Stream of Awareness

3. Emotion & Motivation revisited
• THREAT SYSTEM Avoiding
Protection & Safety Fight, flight, freeze
Focus narrows (‘sticks’) Tend & befriend
• DRIVE SYSTEM Approaching
Reward & Resources Grab & go
Focus narrows (‘carrots’)
• SOOTHING SYSTEM Attaching
Social bonding & Safeness Rest & digest
Focus widens
(internal-external, self-other) Gilbert, 2009
Hanson, 2013

4. Practical ethics
• Training in compassion enhances ethical sensitivity
• What are the consequences of our thoughts, speech
and behaviour?
• Practical ethics focus on as much wholesome and as
little unwholesome effect as possible, for as many
people (beings) involved as possible.
• Ethical decisions come from a compassionate mind (not
from threat or drive modes).
Our greatest glory is not in never falling
but in rising every time we fall.
(Confucius)

5. SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME PRACTICE
FORMAL
• nourishing the soothing system, e.g. soothing breathing rhythm
• safe place / compassionate companion / compassion mode
• kindness meditation - self & others
• compassionate breathing - self & others
• four friends for life: kindness, joy, compassion, equanimity
• compassionately dealing with resistance / desire / inner patterns
• compassionate letter writing / forgiveness
INFORMAL
• breathing spaces kindness/ compassion/ compassionate breathing
• self-compassion mantra; calendar exercises

6. Activities
• Webinar Equanimity 19 March 2024:
with Frits Koster (donation online event)
• MBCL Retreat 21-26 April 2024:
with Erik van den Brink and Bridgette O'Neill
in The Nightingale Centre, Buxton (in-person)
• Interpersonal Mindfulness 31 May - 2 June 2024:
with Frits Koster in
the Kairos Centre, South-West London (in-person)
• International Online MBCL Teacher Training:
- Sunday 27 October - 7-9pm orientation session
- Fri 1 – Sun 3 November and
- Sat 7 – Mon 9 November 2024 - daily: 2-9.30pm UK time
with Erik van den Brink and Bridgette O'Neill (online)