A Path of Compassion

From the Sacred Sites Tarot, the Hierophant:

This image depicts the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Until 1959, it was the residence of the Dalai Lama. On the Dalai Lama's official website, he lists three commitments that his life is guided by: promoting basic ethical values, fostering inter-religious harmony and the preservation of the peaceful Tibetan Buddhist culture. There's nothing about converting the world and saving souls from eternal damnation. His teachings are offered with an open palm rather than a closed fist. The present Dalai Lama teaches, "If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it. We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection." He and this Hierophant remind me that kindness can be my religion; it needs no other label.

From the Haindl Rune Oracle comes "Is:"

This rune is likened to ice, and in the Anglo-Saxon poem it describes it as "very cold and immeasurably slippery." Is/Ice is an obstacle over which I have no personal control; I must take great care that I don't harm myself or others reacting to it. This card and the one above indicates I should handle my obstacles with compassion instead of allowing anger or pride to trip me up. Tibet was invaded and taken over by China in 1951, and the Dalai Lama fled to India to escape becoming a political prisoner. Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, has spoken out against China and continues to be an advocate for the Tibetan people. Yet he chooses the path of nonviolence to deal with this obstacle, a path that has probably kept many of the Tibetan people safe while they are subjected to the occupation of the Chinese.