The Mayan people have a saying, ‘In Lak’ ech Hala ken’ which literally means, ‘I am you, as you are me’ or, ‘I am another you, as you are another me.’
Photo: Mónica Ramírez López
There is a story of a woman who went to visit the Dalai Lama to understand the definition of compassion. She prefaced her question to the Dalai Lama, by sharing how she felt earlier when she saw an old man beating an underfed stray dog with a stick. The Dalai Lama responded by saying, ‘Compassion is when you feel as sorry for the man, as you do for the dog.’
The Mayan people, who are an Indigenous tribe in Mexico and Central America conceive the universe as ‘one’ and believe that everything is related. They consider all individuals, the community, the plants, the animals, the winds, and the spirits are ‘one’ and nothing exists without the relationship to the other. They say, everything is alive and everything is connected.
Dr. Fidencio Briceño Chel, who has a Ph.D. in Anthropological Linguistics says, that this dual vision in which ‘I’ does not exist, accentuates our commitment to being part of the whole. We do not exist as separate entities, we exist from our belonging and our relationship with the community. In this way, we begin to relate to the world by forming a ‘we’ with everything and everyone.
The Mayan philosophy respects all things equally and reminds us there is no separation.
May we remember this wisdom and our connection to everything.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
Beautifully put Karen. 💕 Our westerner educated mind may judge that others have a smaller version and more naive view of the world. They have not been exposed or educated as we have … and are therefore lacking or less. The questions always arise … what if we have lost our way and they have knowledge and insights that can heal us all? Thank you 💕
So true Val thank you. This is wisdom I always hold close to my heart and it always allows unity and love back into my experience.💚🙏🏻
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I agree with Val. I think somehow Old World peoples lost the thread of something important, possibly in the rise of the clergy/church? May we all awaken to the truth of planetary interconnectedness. ❤
Yes I agree this is how it began Eliza and my hope is that this ancient wisdom and knowledge will awaken in us again and allows us to feel this sense of deep belonging in the world. 🙏🏻💚
The comment from the Dalai Lama ‘Compassion is when you feel as sorry for the man, as you do for the dog’ sums it up beautifully Karen 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
It’s a powerful reminder, that there is no separation. Thanks Mark 🙏🏻🌈
As hard as it may be to feel compassion for the man, I can and do see it as the true path to wisdom and interconnectedness.
So true. 💕It takes patience and an open heart to learn the wisdom of oneness. Thanks Jennifer.
Absolutely wonderful.
Thank you 🙏🏻💚
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I love the Mayan philosophy, but I see that I have to work on mine because I would not feel sorry for the man. I would only feel great compassion for the dog.
You touch on an important point Michele. I too have felt these feelings and the only way I shifted my perspective was to practice being in high vibrational spaces like nature, rivers and mountains and as I learned to ‘be’ in these spaces I awakened my sense of oneness with all life and this feeling expanded into everyone around me. It’s a patient practice of letting go and aligning to the truth but a powerful opening to participate fully in life. 💚💕
I’ll try that Karen, thank you. I think my bond of trying to heal, protect and comfort the injured gets away from me sometimes, and it’s hard to see and feel the abusers in a sense of oneness.
Yes it really is hard. When we heal those fragmented parts of ourselves we can reunite with life and with one another. 💚
This is so good Karen, thanks for sharing. This might sound a bit silly, but sometimes when I’m driving and another driver upsets me or does something rude, I’ll say ‘you and I are connected’ as a way of reminding myself and bringing peace and compassion to the experience rather than anger and stress.
Oh I love that you do that! Such a simple but powerful way to remind ourselves of our connection to each other and the world. I will do the same too. Thank you 🙏🏻 💕💚
I love this story and agree about feeling sorry for both the victim and the abuser – a perspective that I have held for long and yet felt was not welcomed by some around me. I felt very peaceful reading your post.
When we become one with life, there is always peace! Thank you 💕💚
You are very welcome, yes so much peace even in the reminder.