What does it mean to be a neighbor?

"Compassion for all sentient beings is beyond emotion. However, compassion will make your heart tender and spring tears to your eyes."

-Renee Faber-

In order to be a good neighbor, we must begin by being kind to ourselves. To be authentically kind to ourselves, we need to learn how to accept both our joys and our sufferings with love and compassion. When we accept our own transgressions, understand our own minds, and experience our innate compassion, we are able to accept others' transgressions, celebrate their innate worth, and connect to them through compassion.

It can be very difficult to look deeply into ourselves, our inner workings, due to our unhealthy habit patterns. Unhealthy habit patterns are tricky little things, distorting our perspective of how we view ourselves. They lock us into a rigid way of thinking, moving, and acting. What we want are healthy habit patterns rooted in compassion and wisdom. Healthy habits bring about joy, lightness, and peace.

Meditation and mindfulness clear away unhealthy habit patterns. These practices are like winds that move the clouds of unhealthy patterns away to show our minds to be beautiful open blue skies of peace. And in that vast blue sky of peace we become aware of our innate worth. 

An excerpt from the Mindful Living page: "Neighboring" from www.yourwondrousmind.com

https://www.yourwondrousmind.com/neighboring.html