Passion Becomes Compassion – In Gita Verse 15.15 I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
In the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Verse 15.15, Krishna presents us with a revelation that pierces the veil of our ordinary perception: “I am seated in everyone’s heart…” Here, we are invited to discover the divine presence within, manifested as love in our hearts. This love, however, is but a doorway to a deeper understanding of ourselves, and only through its transcendence into compassion can we walk through that door. Vedānta, therefore, goes beyond the written word; it is the innermost journey of self-discovery in the light of Krishna’s luminous wisdom.
Gautam Buddha’s teachings mark a significant milestone on this path of enlightenment, intertwining compassion with the practice of meditation. Meditation, traditionally, was considered the pinnacle of spiritual achievement, yet Buddha revolutionised this belief by seeding the soil of our consciousness with compassion beforehand. This intertwining of compassion with meditation ensures that we not only attain bliss but become conduits for others to receive it as well.
The rationale behind this preparatory nurturing is subtle yet transformative. When a heart is saturated with compassion, the transition to full enlightenment carries with it the potential to influence and inspire others. Buddha redefined enlightenment as a shared triumph, not just a solitary conquest, turning it into an act that creates ripples across the social fabric.
True mastery, as envisioned by Buddha, goes beyond self-realisation. A master is one whose compassion overflows, compelling them to extend a beacon of guidance to those wandering in darkness. It’s not about disturbing their ecstasy, but about sharing it, about transforming solitary trees into a forest where the symphony of blooms creates an orchestra of joy – a joy exponentially magnified by collective awakening.
Buddha’s approach makes enlightenment an act of elevated consciousness and an act of revolution – a revolution of the heart. He taught his disciples the art of generosity: that in sharing the inner silence and serenity of meditation with the world, we tap into an inexhaustible wellspring of joy. For the unacquainted, giving may seem a depletion, but for the one versed in the art of compassion, it is the expansion of one’s internal universe.
Compassion represents the zenith of our evolutionary consciousness – it’s the alchemy that turns base passion into golden insight. Passion is the sleeping seed hidden within the soil; compassion is the full bloom revealing under the sun’s embrace. Yet, in this bloom, we must recognise that compassion stands in stark contrast to kindness. While kindness often carries the signature of our ego, masquerading as a superior gesture, compassion is the energy of the cosmos flowing through us, a force untainted by motives or ego.
Krishna’s teachings remind us that compassion is our divine inheritance, the manifestation of His presence within us. Kindness belongs to the realm of human transactions, but compassion belongs to the realm of divine grace. To experience compassion, we simply have to be open, to keep out of the way, to let the divine sun shine through us unobstructed.
Let this sacred understanding guide us: allow your inner passion to unfold into the limitless sky of compassion. Illuminate the paths of those around you with the light of your own realisation. For in the true spirit of the divine, we find that it is not through holding on, but through giving selflessly, that we find our deepest connection with Krishna, forever seated in the heart of all.
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