A tolerant person must have empathy and compassion towards other beings. Empathy means sincerely understanding
others’ feelings and thinking, and truly sharing their pains, frustration, and anger, as well
as their perceptions and beliefs. Compassion implies boundless and
unconditioned love expressed through concerned attitudes, kind words and caring deeds. A compassionate person is selfless and altruistic.
To develop empathy and compassion, every day try to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are sick or in
pain and need care, and those who seem to be difficult to deal with. Imagine you are a caregiver, learn how to express your empathy toward them. Take care of others, including little creatures like an ant, a mosquito, or an earthworm. Cause no harm to others, and learn to become a vegetarian. Put yourself in others' situations in order to empathize with those who are quarrelsome and bellicose. Learn why they live and view the
world that way. You can develop empathy by thinking
about the interconnectedness among all beings on earth. Oneness
embraces no discrimination, prejudice or stereotype. Thinking about
unity or oneness, you would not utter unskilled words that may hurt or
separate people. Nor would you want to harm any when you see yourselves
in others. With compassion you would rather give than receive, whether it is
material objects and money, or joy and happiness. Compassionate people always help others in difficult times without any selfish motive. Empathy and compassion should be subjects for daily mindful contemplation. With practice, patience and perseverance, your ability to tolerate adversities will improve.
