Rinpoche says humans are intelligent beings capable of both good and bad: “each person is a mixture of positive and negative qualities” (20). His book Medicine & Compassion strives to show how we can better ourselves through becoming more compassionate and caring, more selfless and thus more capable of helping others. He says “Just like water has the quality of being an inherently clear liquid, our basic nature—called mind in Buddhist philosophy—has the property of being compassionate.” (20)

Water

Rachel questions how someone can be “empty and yet compassionate.” Rinpoche’s discussion of compassion was confusing to me at first. But I think Rinponche is trying to illustrate that we must be empty of selfish thoughts, free from our personal problems and preoccupations, if we are to truly help others. We must give up a small part of ourselves to achieve the Sympathetic Imagination—to place ourselves in others shoes—in order to reach our potential as helpers. For example, doctors that are open and responsive rather than closed off and mechanical are always seen as more compassionate. As Rinpoche says, “connection with the caregiver” can have powerful effects (31). Garrison examined the differences between good doctors and bad doctors, saying that those who were more personable and involved with making human connections were the ones he saw as “good.”

Put yourself in another person’s shoes

A Compassionate Doctor

Though these human connections are extremely important in the medical world, I think forming bonds is important to all aspects of life. We must learn that if we are to take a little from those we interact with, we must give a little back. This is not a hard thing to do, as long as we put our egos in perspective. We all have so much in common and as Rinpoche says, we all face four problems “birth, aging, sickness, and death.” (23) We all need help to make these processes a little less painful.