Joan Halifax: Compassion and the true meaning of empathy

Translator: Adrián Levices Casal Reviewer: Patricia Álvarez

I want to address the issue of compassion.

Quero tratar o tema da compaixón.

Compassion has many faces.

A compaixón ten moitos rostros.

Some of them are fierce; some of them are wrathful;

Algúns son feros; outros irados;

some of them are tender; some of them are wise.

algúns son tenros e outros sabios.

A line that the Dalai Lama once said,

Unha vez o Dalai Lama recitou:

he said, "Love and compassion are necessities.

"O amor e a compaixón son necesidades.

They are not luxuries.

Non son luxos.

Without them,

Sen eles,

humanity cannot survive."

a humanidade non pode sobrevivir."

And I would suggest,

E eu engadiríalle,

it is not only humanity that won't survive,

que non só a humanidade non sobreviviría,

but it is all species on the planet,

morrerían todas as especies do planeta,

as we've heard today.

tal e coma hoxe escoitamos.

It is the big cats,

Dende os grandes felinos,

and it's the plankton.

ata o plancton.

Two weeks ago, I was in Bangalore in India.

Hai dúas semanas estiven en Bangalore, na India.

I was so privileged

Tiven o grande privilexio

to be able to teach in a hospice

de dar clases nun hospicio

on the outskirts of Bangalore.

nos arredores de Bangalore.

And early in the morning,

E á mañá cedo

I went into the ward.

fun ao pavillón dos doentes.

In that hospice,

Naquel hospicio,

there were 31 men and women

había trinta e un homes e mulleres

who were actively dying.

que estaban ao bordo da morte.

And I walked up to the bedside

E achegueime á cabeceira

of an old woman

dunha anciá

who was breathing very rapidly, fragile,

que estaba a respirar moi rápido e moi fráxil,

obviously in the latter phase

era claro que estaba na última fase

of active dying.

da súa agonía.

I looked into her face.

Mirei a súa cara.

I looked into the face

Mirei á cara

of her son sitting next to her,

do seu fillo, sentado ao seu carón,

and his face was just riven

e a súa cara estaba desgarrada

with grief and confusion.

pola dor e a confusión.

And I remembered

E lembrei

a line from the Mahabharata,

unha pasaxe do Mahabharata,

the great Indian epic:

a grande epopeia hindú.

"What is the most wondrous thing in the world, Yudhisthira?"

"Que é o máis prodixioso do mundo, Yudhisthira?"

And Yudhisthira replied,

Ao que Yushisthira respondeu,

"The most wondrous thing in the world

"O máis prodixioso do mundo

is that all around us

é que ao noso redor

people can be dying

a xente pode morrer

and we don't realize

e non nos decatamos

it can happen to us."

de que pode acontecernos a nós."

I looked up.

Ollei cara arriba.

Tending those 31 dying people

Atendendo a eses trinta e un moribundos

were young women

había mozas

from villages around Bangalore.

das aldeas próximas a Bangalore.

I looked into the face of one of these women,

Ollei á cara a unha desas mulleres,

and I saw in her face

e vin no seu rostro

the strength that arises

a forza que xurde

when natural compassion is really present.

cando a compaixón natural está presente.

I watched her hands

Ollei as súas mans

as she bathed an old man.

namentres bañaba a unha anciá.

My gaze went to another young woman

A miña mirada fixouse noutra moza

as she wiped the face

namentres esta limpaba a cara

of another dying person.

doutro moribundo.

And it reminded me

E iso fíxome lembrar

of something that I had just been present for.

algo que viña de presenciar.

Every year or so,

Cada ano ou así

I have the privilege of taking clinicians

teño o privilexio de levar médicos

into the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.

ao Himalaia e ao Planalto do Tibet.

And we run clinics

E instalamos clínicas

in these very remote regions

nestas remotas rexións

where there's no medical care whatsoever.

onde non hai asistencia médica nin nada polo estilo.

And on the first day at Simikot in Humla,

E o primeiro día en Simikot en Humla,

far west of Nepal,

ao oeste do Nepal,

the most impoverished region of Nepal,

a rexión máis empobrecida do Nepal,

an old man came in

achegouse un ancián

clutching a bundle of rags.

suxeitando uns farrapos.

And he walked in, and somebody said something to him,

Entrou e alguén lle dixo algo,

we realized he was deaf,

e nos decatamos de que era xordo,

and we looked into the rags,

e miramos entre os farrapos,

and there was this pair of eyes.

e vimos un par de ollos.

The rags were unwrapped

Os farrapos estaban envoltos

from a little girl

sobre unha pequena

whose body was massively burned.

que tiña todo o corpo queimado.

Again,

Outra vez,

the eyes and hands

os ollos e mans

of Avalokiteshvara.

de Avalokiteshvara.

It was the young women, the health aids,

Era a moza, a médica,

who cleaned the wounds of this baby

quen limpou as feridas deste cativo

and dressed the wounds.

e as tapou.

I know those hands and eyes;

Coñezo esas mans e ollos;

they touched me as well.

tamén me tocaron a min.

They touched me at that time.

Tocáronme daquelas.

They have touched me throughout my 68 years.

Tocáronme durante os meus 68 anos.

They touched me when I was four

Tocáronme cando tiña catro anos

and I lost my eyesight

e perdín a vista

and was partially paralyzed.

e estaba parcialmente paralizada.

And my family brought in

E a miña familia trouxo

a woman whose mother had been a slave

a unha muller cuxa nai fora esclava

to take care of me.

para que me coidase.

And that woman

E aquela muller

did not have sentimental compassion.

non tiña unha compaixón sentimental.

She had phenomenal strength.

Tiña unha extraordinaria forza.

And it was really her strength, I believe,

E era tal a sua forza, pensei,

that became the kind of mudra and imprimatur

que se converteu no tipo de mudra e imprimatur

that has been a guiding light in my life.

que guiou a miña vida.

So we can ask:

Polo que podemos preguntar:

What is compassion comprised of?

De que se compón a compaixón?

And there are various facets.

Existen varias facetas.

And there's referential and non-referential compassion.

Existe a compaixón referencial e non referencial.

But first, compassion is comprised

Pero primeiro, a compaixón confórmase

of that capacity

da capacidade

to see clearly

de ollar con claridade

into the nature of suffering.

nas orixes do sufrimento.

It is that ability

É esa capacidade

to really stand strong

de permanecer forte

and to recognize also

e tamén de recoñecer

that I'm not separate from this suffering.

que non son alleo a ese sufrimento.

But that is not enough,

Pero non abonda,

because compassion,

xa que a compaixón,

which activates the motor cortex,

que activa o motor cortex,

means that we aspire,

quere dicir que aspiramos

we actually aspire to transform suffering.

a transformar o sufrimento.

And if we're so blessed,

E se temos esa bendición,

we engage in activities

involucrámonos en actividades

that transform suffering.

que transformen o sufrimento.

But compassion has another component,

Mais a compaixón ten outro compoñente,

and that component is really essential.

un que é realmente esencial.

That component

Ese compoñente

is that we cannot be attached to outcome.

é que non podemos suxeitarnos ao desenlace.

Now I worked with dying people

Traballei con moribundos

for over 40 years.

durante máis de corenta anos.

I had the privilege of working on death row

Traballei con condenados a morte

in a maximum security [prison] for six years.

nun cárcere durante máis de seis anos.

And I realized so clearly

E decateime

in bringing my own life experience,

que achegar a miña experiencia

from working with dying people

no traballo cos moribundos

and training caregivers,

e entrenando aos coidadores,

that any attachment to outcome

que calqueira suxeición ao desenlace

would distort deeply

deformaría profundamente

my own capacity to be fully present

a miña capacidade de estar presente

to the whole catastrophe.

en toda a catástrofe.

And when I worked in the prison system,

Cando traballei no sistema penitenciario

it was so clear to me, this:

tiña isto ben claro:

that many of us

que moitos de nós

in this room,

nesta habitación,

and almost all of the men that I worked with on death row,

e case tódolos sentenciados a morte cos que traballei,

the seeds of their own compassion had never been watered.

nunca experimentaran a compaixón antes.

That compassion is actually

Esa compaixón é de feito

an inherent human quality.

unha cualidade inherente humana.

It is there within every human being.

Está presente en todo ser humano.

But the conditions

Mais as condicións

for compassion to be activated,

para activar a compaixón,

to be aroused,

para despertala,

are particular conditions.

son particulares.

I had that condition, to a certain extent,

Eu reúno, en certa medida, esas condicións

from my own childhood illness.

a partir da miña doenza cando era cativa.

Eve Ensler, whom you'll hear later,

Eve Ensler, a quen logo escoitaredes,

has had that condition activated

tamén ten esa condición

amazingly in her

incriblemente

through the various waters of suffering

por mor de varios tipos de sufrimento

that she has been through.

polos que tivo que pasar.

And what is fascinating

E o incrible

is that compassion has enemies,

é que a compaixón teña inimigos,

and those enemies are things like pity,

que son tales coma a piedade,

moral outrage,

a indignación moral,

fear.

o medo.

And you know, we have a society, a world,

E vedes que a nosa sociedade, o mundo,

that is paralyzed by fear.

está paralizado polo medo.

And in that paralysis, of course,

E nesa parálise, de certo,

our capacity for compassion

a nosa capacidade por sermos compasivos

is also paralyzed.

tamén está paralizada.

The very word terror

A palabra medo

is global.

é universal.

The very feeling of terror is global.

O sentimento de medo tamén.

So our work, in a certain way,

O noso traballo, en certo modo,

is to address this imago,

é atallar esta imaxe,

this kind of archetype

este arquetipo

that has pervaded the psyche

que invadiu a psique

of our entire globe.

de todo o mundo.

Now we know from neuroscience

A través da neurociencia sabemos

that compassion has

que a compaixón

some very extraordinary qualities.

ten algunhas extraordinarias cualidades.

For example:

Por exemplo:

A person who is cultivating compassion,

unha persoa que traballa a compaixón,

when they are in the presence of suffering,

cando está en presenza de doentes,

they feel that suffering a lot more

notan que sofren moito máis

than many other people do.

có resto da xente.

However,

Porén,

they return to baseline a lot sooner.

retornan ao punto de partida axiña.

This is called resilience.

A isto chámaselle elasticidade.

Many of us think that compassion drains us,

Moitos de nós pensamos que a compaixón nos baleira,

but I promise you

mais asegúrovos

it is something that truly enlivens us.

que é algo que nos fortalece.

Another thing about compassion

Outra cousa sobre a compaixón

is that it really enhances what's called neural integration.

é que mellora a chamada integración neural.

It hooks up all parts of the brain.

Conecta todas as partes do cerebro.

Another, which has been discovered

Outra que vén de ser descuberta

by various researchers

por varios investigadores

at Emory and at Davis and so on,

de Emory e Davis entre outros,

is that compassion enhances our immune system.

é que a compaixón mellora o noso sistema inmunitario.

Hey,

Eh,

we live in a very noxious world.

vivimos nun mundo ben nocivo.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Most of us are shrinking

A maioría de nós botámonos atrás

in the face of psycho-social and physical poisons,

perante os velenos psico-sociais e físicos

of the toxins of our world.

das toxinas do noso mundo.

But compassion, the generation of compassion,

Pero a compaixón, a creación de compaixón,

actually mobilizes

hoxe moviliza

our immunity.

a nosa inmunidade.

You know, if compassion is so good for us,

Saben, se a compaixón é tan boa para nós,

I have a question.

teño unha pregunta.

Why don't we train our children

Por que non lles inculcamos aos nosos fillos

in compassion?

o sentido da compaixón?

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

If compassion is so good for us,

Se a compaixón é tan boa para nós,

why don't we train our health care providers in compassion

por que non inculcarlla aos que nos achegan a sanidade

so that they can do what they're supposed to do,

para que fagan o que se supón que teñen que facer,

which is to really transform suffering?

que é transformar o sufrimento?

And if compassion is so good for us,

Se a compaixón é tan boa para nós,

why don't we vote on compassion?

por que non lle damos o noso voto?

Why don't we vote for people in our government

Por que non votamos a gobernantes

based on compassion,

que se baseen na compaixón,

so that we can have

e así poidamos ter

a more caring world?

un mundo máis afectuoso?

In Buddhism,

No Budismo,

we say, "it takes a strong back and a soft front."

dicimos, "precísase dunhas costas fortes e dunha fronte suave".

It takes tremendous strength of the back

Cómpre dunha grande fortaleza nas costas

to uphold yourself in the midst of conditions.

para mantérmonos na adversidade.

And that is the mental quality of equanimity.

E esa é a cualidade mental da ecuanimidade.

But it also takes a soft front --

Mais tamén cómpre unha fronte suave...

the capacity to really be open to the world as it is,

a capacidade de abrírmonos a este mundo tal e coma é,

to have an undefended heart.

de termos un corazón aberto.

And the archetype of this in Buddhism

E o arquetipo disto no budismo

is Avalokiteshvara, Kuan-Yin.

é Avalokiteshvara, Kuan- Yin.

It's a female archetype:

É un arquetipo feminino:

she who perceives

ela que percibe

the cries of suffering in the world.

os prantos de sufrimento no mundo.

She stands with 10,000 arms,

Ela conta con dez mil brazos,

and in every hand,

e en cada man,

there is an instrument of liberation,

suxeita un instrumento de liberación,

and in the palm of every hand, there are eyes,

e na palma de cada man ten ollos,

and these are the eyes of wisdom.

e estes son os ollos da sabiduría.

I say that, for thousands of years,

Digo que, durante miles de anos,

women have lived,

as mulleres viviron,

exemplified, met in intimacy,

exemplificaron, coñeceron na intimidade,

the archetype of Avalokitesvara,

o arquetipo de Avalokitesvara,

of Kuan-Yin,

de Kuan- Yin,

she who perceives

aquela que percibe

the cries of suffering in the world.

os prantos de sufrimento do mundo.

Women have manifested for thousands of years

As mulleres manifestaron durante miles de anos

the strength arising from compassion

a forza procedente da compaixón

in an unfiltered, unmediated way

de xeito inalterado, sen mediacións

in perceiving suffering

percibindo o sufrimento

as it is.

tal e como é.

They have infused societies with kindness,

Déronlle bondade á sociedade,

and we have really felt that

e decatámonos disto

as woman after woman

a medida que unha muller tras outra

has stood on this stage

subía a este escenario

in the past day and a half.

no último día e medio.

And they have actualized compassion

E describiron a compaixón

through direct action.

mediante a acción directa.

Jody Williams called it:

Jody Williams chamouno:

It's good to meditate.

É bo meditar.

I'm sorry, you've got to do a little bit of that, Jody.

Síntoo, tes que exercelo un pouco, Jody.

Step back, give your mother a break, okay.

Retrocede, dálle un respiro á túa nai.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

But the other side of the equation

Pero o outro lado da ecuación

is you've got to come out of your cave.

é que tes que saír da túa cova.

You have to come into the world

Tes que entrar no mundo

like Asanga did,

como fixo Asanga,

who was looking to realize Maitreya Buddha

que quería acadar o Buda Maitreya

after 12 years sitting in the cave.

logo de doce anos na cova.

He said, "I'm out of here."

Dixo, "marcho de aquí".

He's going down the path.

Baixou polo sendeiro.

He sees something in the path.

Viu algo.

He looks, it's a dog, he drops to his knees.

Viu un can e se pousou sobre os seus xeonllos.

He sees that the dog has this big wound on its leg.

Viu que o can tiña unha ferida grande nunha perna.

The wound is just filled with maggots.

A ferida estaba chea de vermes.

He puts out his tongue

Sacou a lingua

in order to remove the maggots,

para quitar os vermes

so as not to harm them.

e non lastimalos.

And at that moment,

E nese momento,

the dog transformed

o can transformouse

into the Buddha of love and kindness.

no Buda do amor e da bondade.

I believe

Penso

that women and girls today

que as mulleres e rapazas de hoxe

have to partner in a powerful way with men --

deben de unirse de xeito poderoso aos homes...

with their fathers,

cos seus pais,

with their sons, with their brothers,

os seus fillos, os seus irmáns,

with the plumbers, the road builders,

cos fontaneiros, os constructores de estradas,

the caregivers, the doctors, the lawyers,

cos coidadores, os médicos, os avogados,

with our president,

co noso presidente,

and with all beings.

e con todos os seres.

The women in this room

As mulleres nesta habitación

are lotuses in a sea of fire.

son flores de loto nun mar de lume.

May we actualize that capacity

Renovemos esa capacidade

for women everywhere.

para as mulleres de todo o mundo.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)