How to finally stop being so hard on yourself
Decoding true compassion
Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Quan Yin with White Tara and Green Tara deities who model true compassion for us
Goddess Quan Yin is the manifestation of true compassion “she who hears the cries of the world”.
She is said to have seen the suffering of humanity and wept, from her tears Green and White Tara deities were formed:
White Tara, a nurturing, maternal figure, offering boundless loving kindness, promoting inner growth and protection from fear and illness, bringing healing wisdom, calm and inner peace.
Green Tara, boundless unbiased generosity, swift fearless enlightened action to provide immediate aid. The connection to the natural world, renewal, fertility and vitality.
Tibetan Buddhism considers goddesses and deities in a similar way to shamanic traditions - rather than necessarily being ‘spirit beings’ who might visit you - they consider them to be more like energies we awaken, call in when we lean into practice.
I share this because this is such powerful imagery - let me decode it for you if you haven’t already:
These most widely revered of all deities show us what compassion really is - how we need to BE
Feel our feelings, hear the suffering
Hold this in love, provide reassurance
What is needed?
Boundless generosity + swift action = provide that which will help without delay.
Now this feels more accessible, more practical and with practice, life changing - helping us let love in - doesn’t it?
There is another powerful tool these goddesses give us: Mantra.
Chanting "Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha" (Om Tara, swift Tara, free Tara, Soha) connects you to Green Tara's ever-present energy, always ready to respond to sincere calls for help, acting as a catalyst for personal transformation and compassionate action.
I for one, have a busy, noisy chatty mind - mentally or out-loud chanting mantras really helps me quiet my mind and change my energy (sometimes saving me from feeling like I’m going crazy).
Two final notes that help us modern day westerners trip up:
Self hatred isn’t a thing in Tibet / Nepal cultures like it is here in the west. So perhaps to you it sounds selfish - but wisdom says ‘put your own oxygen mask on first’. First apply this practice of compassion to yourself.
Why is this so important? To be grounded and whole we must attend to our own needs first.
As Thich Nhat Hanh used to write: if we don’t do this, we are like a pot in search of a lid, spilling our contents everywhere. When we are grounded, whole and resourced - then we can be in service of others.
You may also misunderstand compassion as being beige, weak, maybe roll-over-turn-the-other-cheek, kind of passive. Green Tara shows us the opposite is true with boundless generosity with swift fearless enlightened action.
Compassion is true love in action. True love says no, that’s not ok. True love means boundaries. True love means something because of No.
For us in the west this probably means: Say it how it is, say it simply, stop squashing it down, stop dancing around the topic. Speak up, don’t squash it. No, that's not ok for me. This is compassion, love in action.
If you find yourself wanting more…
This 30 min guided meditation calling in Quan Yin might help you get started 🙂
You can also join our Friday mediation circle and practice with us every week in 7 week streaks, live or on demand - click here to find out more and sign up
