The Two Wings of Mindfulness
What does it mean to you to be wise? Are you consumed with yourself or do you let go? When you are compassionate, what does it feel like? Are you expecting something in return, even if it is just that feel good feeling?
Today we’re exploring the two wings of mindfulness — wisdom or clear-seeing and compassion. Just as a bird needs two wings to fly, mindfulness needs both wisdom and compassion.
Wisdom or clear-seeing and compassion are intricately interconnected when we are mindful—when we are aware moment-to-moment with intention and curiosity and without judgment. Mindfulness is a remembering of who we really are and how we are all interconnected and loving. Clear-seeing and compassion let mindfulness take wing in the world and carry us through experience just as birds take wing and carry themselves through the sky.
Clear-seeing is seeing the truth of three things: impermanence, no-self, and dissatisfaction or suffering. When we see clearly, we see the world as it is and we understand how to be in the world in a true and clear way free of delusion. When the mind sees clearly it is not deluded, confused, scattered, or cloudy.
Impermanence is the truth that everything is changing all the time. Experience and situations arise and pass away.
No-self is the truth that we are not in control, we are not solid, and that rather than being like a master puppeteer we are made up of complimentary and valuable components that as a whole act to be in the world and that interconnect us with one another and the whole world. There is the body, feeling tone, perception, mental formations such as thoughts and ideas, and there is consciousness that is aware of how everything is working together.
Suffering is the truth that there is suffering in many forms—discontent, distress, pain, dis-ease, dissatisfaction among many— operating in the world but with clear seeing we don’t need to suffer.
When clear-seeing is present, there is no clinging, no craving, no aversion, and no delusion. This is the first wing of mindfulness—brilliant clarity of mind.
The second wing is compassion.
Compassion rests on equanimity—that state of balance, that sees all sides--the whole picture, and that is non-judging. It is intricately connected to doing no harm to ourselves, others, plants, animals. We are part of a greater whole and each of us is interdependent and connected to the whole. When we accept our interconnection rather than separateness we see how compassion is deeply connected to clear-seeing.
Compassion is seeing suffering, having the desire to alleviate suffering and its causes, and having the motivation to act to relieve suffering without expecting anything in return. Compassion is not passive; it has intention and action.
Compassion is fierce and courageous and is, sometimes, hard to recognize because we are expecting something that we know or are expecting something in return. Compassion requires us to get out of ourselves, to put away our perspective—no matter how learned—and to see the big picture clearly with no expectation that we will get something back.
We see how compassion works through the eyes of a doctor in an article by Tracy Kidder in The New York Times entitled “’You Have to Learn to Listen’: How a Doctor Cares for Boston’s Homeless,” As a young physician, Dr Jim O’Connell, learns important truths about compassion. He learns that the way to help is not to rush in with a stethoscope in hand but to kneel down and soak the feet of the person in front of him in a tub of Betadine and listen. And, from his mentor, nurse Barbara McInnis, he learns that the way is just to do the work without any expectations of getting anything in return.
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I am grateful you are listening and I am grateful for the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.
All of you who are members of the podcast on Patreon;
Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;
Bill Rafferty for technical web support;
Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and
Margaret Haas for announcing the show
Be well. Be mindful.
DISCLAIMER
The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional.
