Compassion - “Driven to Tears” - What the World Needs Now.

02/12/22 • 0 min

Looking at the world through the myriad of media sources we have at our disposal, it seems as though there’s no shortage of suffering and indifference. Between the pandemic affecting all of us, to the racial injustices, political discord, threat of war and the surmounting environmental issues, it seems logical that we’d distract ourselves from all of it, with our devices and the never ending streams of mindless entertainment we’ve all become addicted to.

With all these distractions, it seems the one vital thing we’ve managed to neglect is compassion. Feeling empathy for suffering that doesn’t affect us on a personal level seems abnormal, since most of us believe there’s nothing we can do to alleviate the suffering of someone outside of our circle. The truth is, cultivating our own sense of empathy and compassion for all living beings unconditionally, has the ability to affect the world on a global scale and create a more peaceful future.

Compassion is the foundation of buddhist philosophy and exercising compassion for all living beings is a virtue of buddhist practice. Without compassion, a peaceful world is an impossibility. Unless we allow ourselves to know the pain of others, we can’t expect to empathize with them, much less help end their suffering.

But what does that look like? How does more compassion translate into putting an end to all the suffering in the world? What does one person’s compassion have to do with all of these global issues that seem insurmountable? Surely, one person can’t change the world, right?

In this episode, I take a closer look into the real meaning of compassion, how important the concept is to buddhist practice and ultimately, to creating a more peaceful world, with less suffering and more unity. I felt the song “Driven To Tears” by The Police is a great metaphor to help explain this concept and what a change of heart can mean to the world, if we each take a look inside ourselves and strengthen our own compassion muscle.

Previous Episode

Mentor and Disciple: “The Death of Superman” - A Tribute to EVH

Through the years, there have been many different schools of buddhist thought, but they’ve all built upon the original teachings of Shakyamuni and passed down what they’d learned to the next generation. They did this by following in the footsteps of their mentor and honored them by living the teachings with integrity, setting an example and then passing the torch to the next disciples, keeping the flame of the dharma burning brightly. Essentially, this is how all humans have learned things, from the dawn of mankind - through the knowledge and wisdom of those that came before them. However, the purity of the wisdom depends entirely on the integrity of the teacher...

This lineage of 'mentor and disciple' is woven into everything we do and having the right mentors throughout our lives can determine the outcome of our life's mission and ultimately, whether we succeed or fail. I wanted to honor one of the most important musical mentors I’ve ever had and exemplify just how his wisdom and influence played such a big part in who I’ve become, musically as well as personally. The lessons I’ve learned by following Edward Van Halen over the last forty two years go far beyond just music...

Losing Edward on October 6th, 2020 was much more devastating to me than even I had imagined it would be and I still feel like a piece of who I am is no longer with me. I put this episode together as a tribute to him and the piece in the second half was written as sort of my own, personal eulogy, that I’d imagined myself reading at his memorial. I asked some of my very best guitar player friends to contribute some music, so that this would be an extra special episode that Edward himself would appreciate! There’s some killer guitar music in this episode and all who contributed are also disciples of King Edward, the "punk kid from Pasadena" who made all of our lives so magical. I’m sure Edward would approve! I hope you enjoy it!

Next Episode

Enlightenment: What It Is and What It's Not

Of all the terms most commonly associated with buddhism and eastern philosophy, the word “enlightenment” is likely the first one you think of, any time buddhism or meditation is the topic of conversation. It’s also the one that’s often misunderstood, misinterpreted, or thought of as some superhuman state that requires years of deep meditation and drastic lifestyle changes to attain. It couldn’t possibly be something the average person could experience, with a 9 to 5 job, family, kids, school, or whatever distraction we allow to occupy our mind, from moment to moment, right?

The funny thing about enlightenment is that it’s already inside each and every one of us and just about everyone has experienced it at one time or another, even if they’re not practicing meditation, or not the least bit spiritual. The great thing about enlightenment is that once you understand what it really is, the more you’ll want to have the ability to access it in your own life, at any given moment, to bring about that feeling of interconnectedness, or being “one” with everything and take control of your erratic & anxious mind.

It’s the very same thing Eckhart Tolle describes in his best-selling books “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” - both of which I highly recommend! Once you develop a deeper understanding of what enlightenment is (and what it’s NOT!) you’ll see how it can drastically improve the quality of your life and create a sense of inner-peace, regardless of what this chaotic and entropic world of ours is conjuring, moment to moment.

In this episode, I break down my understanding of enlightenment, through my own experiences, as both a buddhist and also as a musician and explain it to the best of my ability, for you to utilize, at any moment . You may be surprised to find out how you’ve already had “fleeting glimpses” of it in your own life and just how powerful it really is!