Compassionate Seattle

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.33:

Maitri karuna mudita upekshanam sukha duhkha punya apunya vishayanam bhavanatah chitta prasadanam.

By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non virtuous, the mind maintains its attitude undisturbed calmness.

In this Sutra, Patanjali reminds us that our practice of yoga is indeed a practice of living and acting from the heart of compassion.  Whatever we do on the mat to bring health and clarity to body, must also be an integral part of how we live beyond the mat.  Balancing love, happiness, pain, virtuousness and equanimity in all that we do, will bring greater calmness and peace to our hearts and our communities.

You could say it started when His Holiness the Dali Lama came to Seattle in April of 2008 for the Seeds of Compassion Conference.  During that historic week people from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond came together to envision a world of compassion.  And what a fantastic week it was.  I had the privilege of being involved in many aspects of the event and was touched at the deepest levels by the heart and vision of our community.

But in reality, Seeds of Compassion wouldn’t have happened here, if the spirit of compassion was not already alive and vibrant within our community.  People from all walks of life, have been working together behind the scenes for years, living and sharing the spirit of compassion.  And that is why, Seattle is about to become the first city in the US and perhaps the world to have an official Charter of Compassion.  Living, educating and working from a place of compassion will now be officially incorporated into almost every aspect of our city’s vision and plan.

So, how can you get involved?  Be part of the official celebration and launch of Compassionate Seattle, April 2010 – http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/compassionate-seattle-its-up

Date: April 24^th 9am – 8pm
Main Event: 9am – 5pm: Compassion Showcase and Exchange
Evening Celebration and Performance: 5- 8pm
Location: Center for Spiritual Living, 5801 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Tickets: Available through Brown Paper Tickets and can be purchased for the entire day/evening (9am – 8pm) or just for the evening celebration (5pm – 8pm). Lunch can also be purchased in advance (or bring your own.)

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi