Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I recently read an article that talks about the link between acetaminophen and the ability to feel empathy for others. In short, when you dull your pain with medicine you simultaneously dull your ability to feel compassion and concern for others. Tibetan masters of tonglen have often pointed to the necessity to use one’s pain as a springboard for developing universal compassion and it seems that without our own pain we simply can’t effectively confront and address the pain of any beings (ourselves included). Here is the link for your consideration:

http://www.npr.org/2016/07/06/484894653/researchers-examine-why-tylenol-affects-empathy

So, despite the fact that I have a headache this morning for which I would normally turn to a pain-killer (ibuprofen which has yet to be studied) I think I’ll take this as an opportunity to cultivate compassion for all beings suffering from head pain and illness. Sabbe satta sabba dukkha pamuccantu!