The Lost Art of Compassion : Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology   by Lorne Ladner
For modern Westerners groomed to be competitive, insatiable, and as hyperactive as hamsters, The Lost Art of Compassion stops us dead in our frantic tracks. With a zenlike whack to the side of our heads, Ladner deftly applies the pragmatic methods of Buddhism to psychology, reminding us that genuine happiness won't come from our misdirected striving and craving. A clinical psychologist and longtime Tibetan practitioner, Ladner has written a deeply innovative and kind how-to guide that reclaims the foundations of authentic contentment and compassion. The Western practice of psychology has taught us to work with damaging emotions and patterns, but according to Ladner has not offered "even one clear, practical, well-researched method for people to use to develop compassion." In contrast, the Buddhist tradition of mind-training focuses on the steady cultivation of positive emotions and mental states such as affection, even-mindedness, empathy, gratitude, and especially compassion. By practicing, we not only free ourselves from negative emotions, but are moved to ease the human suffering around us that is fed by such emotions. Richly combining his years of clinical and spiritual work, Ladner offers 10 reflective practices that drill out "the ego's calcifications" and distorting self images, opening the space for compassion. Emphasizing that "you cannot give others what you do not have yourself," his method gradually builds outward from establishing a secure self to caring for others. And, somehow, he does this without making us feel like we need to be Mother Teresa by next week. Ladner has never forgotten how he once heard someone in Los Angeles ask the Dalai Lama "what was the 'quickest and easiest' way to enlightenment." The Dalai Lama bowed his head and began to cry. Not fast-food, Ladner's book is a gift of compassion in itself once anyone puts it to practice. --Deborah Easter
 

Cultivating Compassion : A Buddhist Prespective   by Jeffrey Hopkins
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.
 

Start Where You Are : A Guide to Compassionate Living   by PEMA CHODRON
Pema Chodron is a Buddhist nun for regular folks. Having raised a family of her own, she doesn't shy away from persistent troubles and the basic meatiness of life. In fact, in Start Where You Are, Chodron tries to get us to see that the faults and foibles in each of us now are the perfect ingredients for creating a better life. No need to wait for a quieter time or a more settled mind. The trick Chodron says is to repattern ourselves, to transform bad habits into good by first opening ourselves to the groundlessness of existence. When the cliff dissolves beneath our feet, fear has a way of actually lessening. Fearlessness opens the way to recognizing our pushy egos and that rather than being cursed with original sin, we are blessed with an original soft spot--the squishy feeling inside that we all have, that is the seat of true compassion, and that we all do our best to armor over. Chodron is the kind of teacher who has seen it all and keeps pushing us back into ourselves until there's no one left to wrestle with but a certain recalcitrant image in the mirror.
 

In Cultivating Compassion, The Dalai Lama explores the three levels of understanding. Understanding derived through listening or study, understanding derived through reception and thinking, and understanding derived through meditation and practice. Through meditation, we can generate genuine compassion and by clearing away attachment and aversion, we can better practice compassion in our daily life.