Just as the physical universe has laws that govern it, like the laws of gravity and thermodynamics, etc., the spiritual universe also has laws that govern it and those laws may or may not always coincide with the laws of the physical universe. However, they will always supersede them. Over the course of the next few blog posts I hope to highlight what I see as the laws of the spiritual universe.

So, here’s what I perceive as the first law of the spiritual universe: the Law of Compassion. The Dalai Lama sums it up pretty well when he says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Compassion allows us to see beyond our side of the story or our own subjective point of view. It allows us to see the “bigger picture” of life and existence. It is both a thing and an action. It is that invisible force, connecting all things in the universe. Unless we tap into this mighty all-connecting force, we will lack the capacity to know true love.

Compassion is not merely feeling bad for someone or feeling sorry for them. That is sympathy. Compassion isn’t just putting yourself in someone else’s place or feeling what they feel. That is empathy. Compassion is greater than both and should be the end result of either. I’m reminded of several stories in the Bible where Jesus was moved with compassion for people and this compassion produced miraculous results.

Compassion is that invisible force, connecting everything in the universe. It is both a force and a feeling, but it always results in a manifestation. It is the ability to see the world for what it is rather than what our judgments make it. Compassion creates peace, healing and miracles.

It’s important to note that true compassion is never prompted by the need for a covert contract. If payback is expected for a favor or an act or a gift, then self-preservation and ultimately, fear, are at the heart of it and not compassion. Compassion does what needs to be done for the genuine good of another person and expects nothing in return, not recognition and not returned favors. Compassion feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, acts as a counselor and doesn’t keep tabs.

“Compassion is the basis of all morality.” – Arthur Schopenhauer