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40 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

confusion). I cook all of it—the this interconnectedness and clear This study suggests that people are
pain, the confusion, the anger, the seeing, which leads to greater not inherently morally insensitive,
joy—steadily, consistently holding compassion and understanding of but when we’re stressed, scared,
it in this kind, compassionate pot the mysterious web in which we all hurried, it’s easy to lose touch with
of mindfulness. By relating to are woven. our deepest values. By helping us
my experiences in this way, I am stay attuned to what’s happening
better able to digest and receive A third reason mindfulness around us in the present moment,
nourishment from them, just as appears to cultivate empathy regardless of the time, mindfulness
when you put a raw potato in a and compassion is that it guards helps us stay connected to what
pot and cook it for many hours, it against the feelings of stress and is most important. As the Zen
becomes tasty and nourishing. busyness that make us focus more monk Suzuki Roshi teaches,
on ourselves and less on the needs “The most important thing is to
Another way that mindfulness of other people. remember the most important
cultivates compassion is thing.”
that it helps us see our This was famously demonstrated
interconnectedness. For example, in the classic Good Samaritan For me, the most important thing is
let’s say that the left hand has a experiments conducted by John to continue to explore, with an open
splinter in it. The right hand would Darley and Daniel Batson in the heart and mind, what mindfulness
naturally pull out the splinter, 1970s. Darley and Batson assigned truly is, and help illuminate how
right? The left hand wouldn’t say seminary students at Princeton it can be of greatest benefit. We
to the right hand, “Oh, thank you University to deliver a talk on the clearly do not have all the answers
so much! You’re so compassionate Good Samaritan. While on their way yet; I think what is most interesting
and generous!” The right hand to their presentation, the students is to ask the questions. As Rilke said,
removing the splinter is simply the passed someone (working with “Have patience with everything
appropriate response—it’s just the researchers) who was slumped unresolved in your heart and try to
what the right hand does, because over and groaning. The researchers love the questions themselves.”
the two hands are part of the same tested all kinds of variables to see
body. what might make the students The exploration of mindfulness
stop to help, but only one variable requires great sensitivity and a
The more you practice mindfulness, mattered: whether or not the range of methodological glasses.
the more you begin to see that we’re students were late for their talk. Our science—and our lives—will
all part of the same body—that I Only 10 percent of the students benefit by looking through all of
as the right hand actually feel you, stopped to help when they were them, illuminating the richness and
the left hand’s pain, and I naturally late; more than six times as many complexity of mindfulness. EH
want to help. Mindfulness cultivates helped when they were not in a
hurry. Published with the kind permission
of Dr Shauna Shapiro.