Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit," said Aristotle some 300 years BCE. Karen Armstrong would add that a compassionate life is not a goal, or an achievement, but an ongoing spiritual practice. We need to make compassion a habit. And this practice, if it does not make perfect, at least will evolve us in a positive and much needed way.The renowned author of over twenty books on religions of the world has now produced a passionate call to compassion. We need to heed the wisdom of the ancient sages of a wide range of religious and secular thought and apply a compassionate life to the complex circumstances of our own modern circumstances.Ms. Armstrong's `Wish for a Better World" expressed in her acceptance speech for her 2008 TED prize was that the leaders of the world's religions draw up a Charter for Compassion that emphasized their shared core values of compassion and the Golden Rule. The resulting document, unveiled in 2009, is a jewel of concise wisdom compiled by a Council of Conscience from literally tens of thousands of submissions. Following the usual media dictum of `if it bleeds it leads', traditional media have largely ignored this event. It has none-the-less been affirmed online by over 79,000 people. A half a dozen cities, starting with Seattle, have proclaimed themselves Compassionate Cities. Well over sixty cities and regions, including the entire country of Canada, are listed on the International Institute for Compassionate Cities web site as being in the process of this declaration. [NAIN was an early partner of the Charter.]The book is both scholarly and practical. Inspiration is drawn from a wide range of secular and spiritual sources - from Confucius and the Ancient Greeks to the Buddha and the Abrahamic prophets.Societal development tends to follow a paradigm of progression - Individual survival [Four F brain - feed, flee, fight, procreate], Evolving into societies - cooperate for survival of the group, 4 F brain joined with new brain reason = Violence from struggle for power, Revulsion from violence = spiritual changeAs humans develop a higher brain, the remnants of the Four F brain remain and may be evoked during power struggles, resulting in chaos and violence. Eventually, throughout history, repulsion to this violence has forced spiritual sages on a quest toward spiritual change.Our current world situation reflects the third stage where violence is evoked by appeals to the Four F brain. We have made vast progress in scientific exterior realities, but we have not as yet evolved many contemporary sages. "Many people today would rather be right than compassionate."Ms. Armstrong suggests that we have a choice - emphasize aspects of religious and secular traditions that speak of hatred, exclusion, suspicion or work with those that stress interdependence and equality for all.She further upholds the value of mythos as used in all societies to teach universal realities. Mythos is not based on historic fact, but provides a kind of spiritual road map to to a higher consciousness. The hero mythos, eloquently described by Joseph Campbell, is exemplified by Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi in their quest for a larger truth and a more fully-realized self.The book outlines twelve steps towards the compassionate life which modern sages could use to heal the chaos of violence and power struggles. Compassion is definitely not painted as a fluffy, Pollyanna concept. Compassion is not pity, but the shared suffering of the other.The steps are not easy. They imply a lifetime of learning and discipline, not very popular tasks.Compassion for oneself is a necessary step. We live in a `me first' society that is, however, rife with self-doubt, guilt, eating disorders, and other neuroses. It is impossible to offer compassion to others if you have not first been compassionate to yourself.Compassion requires a critical look at how much we do not know. A society which expresses opinions ad nauseum on talk shows does not often reflect on what it really knows about the other. We do not easily want to lose arguments, even if we do not know what we are talking about. We give lip service to interfaith dialog, but rarely know how to engage in real dialog, in which we might learn something and change a preconceived conception.The twelve steps guide us on an ever widening circle of others to whom we practice offering compassion. It means resolving the intricacies of our closest relationships. How often it is hard to be compassionate to our families, our friends, and our co-workers! Then, the twelfth step seems hardest of all - love your enemies!Indeed, a compassionate life might seem an impossible task. But Karen Armstrong encourages us to see the steps as an ongoing process. We must continually stretch ourselves to be more and more compassionate, while applying self-compassion when we fail. The wisdom of the sages is not an impossible aspiration. And, she urges, even if we only achieve a fraction of that enlightenment, we will have lived a more worthy life and left the world a little bit better.I believe this book expresses a powerful, if not easy, prescription for the ills of our modern, violent world.

As an armchair person interested in religion and spirituality, I have read and enjoyed many though not all of Karen's books. Usually her book are not for the faint of heart. The reading often is heavy going but rewarding. This book is different. Karen pulls from the heart of the matter in several different spiritual traditions to illuminate something they all have in common: compassion. What is even more surprising in that Karen gives the reader techniques to access compassion to put into practice what she preaches. When I first read the book, I found it disquieting that the each chapter got shorter and shorter and seemed more repetitive. Upon reflection and reading the book a second time, I realized that each chapter lays the foundation for subsequent chapters and that there are subtle changes in points of view as the practice of compassion is expanded outward. This book is more invitation to act than knowledge to put in one's head like Karen's other books. Nonetheless Karen does not shrink from the hard questions and hard work. This is a book I will read many more times and expect to get something each time. I have decided to join the men's group which is discussing this book. I first heard about the book in the announcement about the men's group. I should hasten to add that this is a book for everyone. I have also decided to join the Charter for Compassion group founded by Karen.

This book is an excellent blend of faith, history, advice and manual. As a medical student, the title caught my eye since compassion is at the heart of my professional obligations. I highly recommend this book to anybody who laments the cynical sordid spectacle of modernity. The 12 step format is an excellent manual for making necessary adjustments to one's core attitude about life. A well-written book I recommend without reservation.I purchased this volume used and it was a little more water-damaged than I expected (the only reason I did not give a 5/5 star rating)

should be required reading/study for every college student. The only problem is that if we lived around the wisdom Armstrong shares with us, there would not be jails, we would not need a military with war machines, far fewer lawyers would be needed, the earth would be healthier, people would not have to live in poverty, racial inequality would not exist..... All this could affect the bottom line on corporations and the market. We can't have that can we?

Never before has compassion in religion been so sorely needed, we are reminded by this one time Roman Catholic nun, best selling religious historian and passionate campaigner for religious liberty. It would be difficult to disagree with this statement. But this is a book not just for the faithful religious. As she quotes the Dalai Lama as saying in his Ethics for the New Millennium (New York, 1999), p. 19: "whether a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being."And this book sets out to help us all be just that.The book starts with a promotion of the Charter for Compassion, the brainchild of Armstrong, created and launched by her in 2009 with the help of TED (Technology Entertainment and Design known for its "Ideas Worth Spreading" conferences - and if you are not familiar with TED you should rectify that straightaway!). The Charter's aim is to bring compassion back to the heart of moral and religious life, and in involving the major faiths in its creation the Charter demonstrates that despite their differences the religions can work together for justice and peace. The Charter thus counters the voices of extremism, intolerance and hatred.We are all invited to sign up to this Charter, to pledge our selves to a compassionate way of life, (although again this does not insist on us being religious, just compassionate) and this book is here to help us achieve this, to help us to translate the Charter into practical and realistic action across the globe.The book is a self-help book that is very far from the self-interest genre that justifiably comes in for some criticism. This is a book to help save the world by healing our own behaviour, an idea very close to my own heart, as expressed in my own book, Healing This Wounded Earth: with Compassion, Spirit and the Power of Hope. As Armstrong points out, and as I have done before her, responsibility for this broken world has to start with the individual. We cannot expect our leaders to adopt humane and compassionate policies unless we change ourselves.As given away in the title, this book is written along the lines of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 point plan, and if we follow the steps carefully and diligently we will surely be able to modify our behaviour and the world will become a better more compassionate place. And we will certainly be happier. Armstrong has no illusions that this will be easy - it will be a lifelong process for us, as we will have to struggle all the way against self hatred and discouragement. But the steps are well explained, and supported with plenty of background information and encouragement at each stage. I was not absolutely sure about her explanations in the Preface of the evolution of the human brain - they may be viewed by the scientifically inclined as perhaps being a little too simplistic, but I do not think this matters to the overall theme. Suffice to say that it seems we may be hard wired for compassion as well as for cruelty and that is encouraging!I heartily recommend the twelve-step process she outlines - to aspire to become truly compassionate persons. It is not, she assures us, beyond our capacity, but our vital work is indeed just beginning when we get to the last page of the book.

Personal development

Spiritually enriching reading

A VPB (very important book) in my opinion. Armstong's summary of the workings of the primitive brain, and how it so easily takes us away from anything resembling compassion, is masterful and worth the price of the book alone. I love the way she puts mindfulness (something of a plague at the moment!) into its proper historical and spiritual context, where is does not remain an end in itself, but instead a means to becoming more compassionate. Since reading this, I've joined Armstong's Compassionate Movement (details easily found on google) and wear a 'Compassionate It!' wristband to keep the concept in mind during the day.Developing compassion is a life-long struggle for us all I think: at the current time, with refugees from Syria pouring into Europe, 'primitive brain' thinking - terrirotrial, me-first, fear-based - really can take over. It takes effort and courage to be compassionate - to 'do to others what you would want them to do for you'. So the book is challenging, but compassionate towards the reader too.Highly recommended.