Research shows that a compassionate attitude towards others improves mental and physical health

DaltheJigsaw

The Dalai Lama has been telling us for years that it would make us happy, but he never said it would make us healthy, too.

“If you want others to be happy,” reads the first part of his famous formula, “practice compassion.” Then comes the second part of the prescription: “If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Maybe the Dalai Lama knew all along or maybe he’s just finding out like the rest of us, but science is starting to catch up with a couple millennia of Buddhist thought. In recent years, the investigation of compassion has moved beyond theology and philosophy to embrace a wide range of scientific fields, including neurology, endocrinology and immunology. And while the benefits of being the recipient of compassion are obvious, new research shows that the practice of compassion has beneficial effects not only on mental health but on physical health, too.

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/76/compassion-improves-health/all

Mountains

It's been shown to release endorphins, which do good things for your body and your mind (in moderate amounts).

DaltheJigsaw

It's been shown to release endorphins, which do good things for your body and your mind (in moderate amounts).

That is interesting.
Can you provide more information?

Spaceless

For instance, a compassionate heart/mind towards the animals, love them by not eating their flesh merely for happy of tongue, you gain long-term happiness and good health. Be compassion by being vegetarianism or veganism.

Mr_Serenity

Wow amazing the Dalai Lama donated $150,000 to help kick start the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. Thanks for the article Leon.

DaltheJigsaw

Wow amazing the Dalai Lama donated $150,000 to help kick start the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. Thanks for the article Leon.

Welcome!:)

ddrishi

In my humble view, if you 'practice' compassion, you can attain only an inflated ego. Compassion is a bye-product of your own transformation and there is no need to make any special effort either to acquire it or practice it.

pain

Thank you Leon... i really enjoy your stuff!

vixthenomad

In my humble view, if you 'practice' compassion, you can attain only an inflated ego. Compassion is a bye-product of your own transformation and there is no need to make any special effort either to acquire it or practice it.

I disagree. If you have spent your whole life thinking of yourself as the centre of the universe, then you will need to form the habit of thinking in terms of alleviating the suffering of other sentient beings. This, like any new skill, requires practice.

wondering

Is feeling better about yourself the essence of compassion? This sounds like self-help Buddhism. Which means you could insert a thousand different "practices" to make your self feel better. For instance "giving money to a charitable cause", or "going to the gym three times a week", or "eating Yogurt and bean sprouts more". So it seems that the kind of compassion that makes you feel better is no more that a quick self help program, like the other thousand different self help books and methods. I wonder what compassion really is? It probably has little consequence to the giver because they just do it without a thought of feeling better about their self. Which i thought the Buddha taught that there is no personal self to even feel better?