Seane Corn YouthAIDS Blog fascinated me as she described teaching Yoga in India to peer educators for YouthAIDS who are commercial sex workers. While the description may sound like a Monty Python skit, her compassionate account touched my heart as she reaches across this vast cultural divide. The desire by these women to hug her was a beautiful vignette.

I read about spiritual practices and beliefs of these women and Seane. I felt less judgemental than I have in the past. Maybe without realizing it, I tried to dismiss the beliefs of others that were quite different than my own since I was not truly comfortable with my own faith system. Now if someone told me I was going to hell, I would not have the slightest concern that that might be true. Previously I might have to defend my position but I feel totally comfortable. I know there is a loving God but not in the form of some judgemental being. While there might be suffering in the process of some fatal disease or accident, I am confident that the other side is wonderful. I may join the oneness of the cosmos or completely disappear but there is no possibility of any type of Hell. There is enough suffering here in this life.

In both yoga and Buddhism, the ocean of suffering we encounter in life--both our own and that which surrounds us--is seen as a tremendous opportunity to awaken our compassion, or karuna, a Pali word that literally means "a quivering of the heart in response to a being's pain." In Buddhist philosophy, karuna is the second of the four brahmaviharas--the "divine abodes" of friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity that are every human being's true nature.

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In Buddhist cosmology, the realm of the gods--a mythical world free of death, pain, and loss--is not the best place to become incarnate. It is our human realm, with all of its suffering, that is the ideal place for awakening our hearts.

And when our hearts awaken, even small gestures can have an immense effect. As (Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat) Hanh explains, "One word can give comfort and confidence, destroy doubt, help someone avoid a mistake, reconcile a conflict, or open the door to liberation. One action can save a person's life or help him take advantage of a rare opportunity. One thought can do the same, because thoughts always lead to words and actions. With compassion in our heart, every thought, word, and deed can bring about a miracle." Compassion in Action
Breathe in the world's pain, breathe out love, and let karuna (compassion) blossom in your life.
By Anne Cushman in Yoga Journal

I am not trying to become a Buddhist and I know many Christian writers would agree with the practice and conclusion as stated here. Most of our Christian friends would agree also. Maybe I am trying to discard some of the baggage as I become more fluent about my faith. Looking at another religion, I'm getting a fresh perspective on my faith.