Peace, and a willingness to be patient in the face of such enormous provocation and suffering, can only come about through the inner cultivation of compassion, a compassion that is not limited to friends, but is felt equally for those who, out of ignorance and often seen as evil, may cause you and those you love to suffer. That degree of selfless compassion is based on what Buddhists call “right mindfulness” and “right understanding.” It doesn’t just spring up spontaneously.
