The Art of Happiness

prescription like that alone isn’t going to work.But one effective means of teaching someonehow to be more warm and compassionate is tobegin by using reasoning to educate the individualabout the value and practical benefits ofcompassion, and also having them reflect on howthey feel when someone is kind to them and soon. In a sense this primes them, so there will bemore of an effect as they proceed in their effortsto be more compassionate.“Now in looking at the various means ofdeveloping compassion, I think that empathy isan important factor. The ability to appreciateanother’s suffering. In fact, traditionally, one ofthe Buddhist techniques for enhancingcompassion involves imagining a situation wherethere is a sentient being suffering—for instance,like a sheep about to be slaughtered by the