Cultivating Compassion: A Buddhist Prespective [Paperback]

Jeffrey Hopkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2002

What compels some people to act compassionately without giving it a second thought, while for others it almost seems against their nature? And what will become of our society if compassion dwindles?

According to Buddhist thought, compassion is society, and esteemed Buddhist scholar-practitioner Jeffrey Hopkins knows that by learning to live from a more compassionate viewpoint, we can create a better life not only for ourselves but for others. In Cultivating Compassion, Hopkins uses Buddhist meditations (including the Dalai Lama’s favorite), visualizations, and entertaining recollections from his personal journey to guide us in developing an awareness of the capacity for love inside us and in learning to project that love into the world around us.

Delivering a potent message with the power to change our relationships and improve the quality of our lives, Cultivating Compassion is the ideal book for an age in which our dealings with each other seem increasingly impersonal–and even violent and aggressive. Anyone seeking release from negative emotions, such as anger, or simply wanting to increase the love and caring among us, will welcome this timely vision for humanity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jeffrey Hopkins has gifted us simple techniques for achieving, through practice, a more loving and tolerant state of being. I think this is a very important book and a must-read for those who are searching for a path to a more joyful and fulfilling life."
–Goldie Hawn

"One of the finest presentations of Tibetan Buddhism mind-training in print."
–Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism Without Beliefs

"Hopkins brings deep knowledge of Buddhist meditation practice to the table, but scholarship alone would not suffice to make this an accessible, readable guide. For that, we need wisdom and the very compassion Hopkins aims to engender in his readers–and he demonstrates both abundantly. His prose is clear and simple, yet penetrating and resonant; his book offers an irresistible entry into an essential practice." –Yoga Journal

"If I had to choose one book that communicates the transformative potential of Buddhism, it would be this one."
–Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Thoughts Without a Thinker and Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart

From the Inside Flap

What compels some people to act compassionately without giving it a second thought, while for others it almost seems against their nature? And what will become of our society if compassion dwindles?

According to Buddhist thought, compassion is society, and esteemed Buddhist scholar-practitioner Jeffrey Hopkins knows that by learning to live from a more compassionate viewpoint, we can create a better life not only for ourselves but for others. In Cultivating Compassion, Hopkins uses Buddhist meditations (including the Dalai Lama?s favorite), visualizations, and entertaining recollections from his personal journey to guide us in developing an awareness of the capacity for love inside us and in learning to project that love into the world around us.

Delivering a potent message with the power to change our relationships and improve the quality of our lives, Cultivating Compassion is the ideal book for an age in which our dealings with each other seem increasingly impersonal?and even violent and aggressive. Anyone seeking release from negative emotions, such as anger, or simply wanting to increase the love and caring among us, will welcome this timely vision for humanity.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (April 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767905008
• ISBN-13: 978-0767905008
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,849,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compassion is the key, March 6, 2004

By 

Ellen Etc. (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cultivating Compassion: A Buddhist Prespective (Paperback)

Buddhists keep talking about compassion, but what is it? Jeffrey Hopkins, who spent 10 years as chief interpreter to the Dalai Lama, spills the beans in this helpful introductory guide to Tibetan Buddhism. 'Compassion,' he says, 'is the heartfelt wish that sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.' That means all sentient beings -- one's friends, one's enemies, and those neutral people one passes daily without really even noticing. The book outlines a series of meditations for developing compassion and equanimity, but even if you have a different meditation practice and merely read through the meditations, the book is wise, generous, and helpful. The introductory chapter on the mechanics of meditation alone was very valuable, giving instruction not only on how to sit, but also on the weird little questions like how to hold the head and teeth, and what to do with the eyes and breath. This book will be a blessing to you no matter what tradition you follow. When you begin to cherish everyone and sincerely wish that they be free from suffering, you are finding the heart of compassion.

P.S. "Joy is the opposite of jealousy."