We are all familiar with the damage of negative thinking and the power of positive thinking. The goal of the Compassion Center is to help people rid themselves of destructive emotions.

If you were to ask someone whether anger or hatred was disrupting his or her life, the most likely answer would be that the anger and/or hatred is justified. "My wife totaled my new sports car." "My son dropped out of college." At face value, the anger appears justified.

Upon deeper examination, we find that destructive emotions impact judgment. Bad judgment leads to suffering.

How many times have we encountered repetitive patterns in ourselves and other people? The same mistake made over and over again. While there is a conscious effort to break the repetitive negative pattern, in many instances it continues--seemingly with a life of its own.

There are many destructive emotions. But, the primary ones are anger, hatred, ignorance, doubt, desire and jealousy. The essence of destructive emotions is excessive focus on the self. Throwing your ego into a cause or purpose much greater than yourself, on the other hand, leads to happiness.

Few people would disagree with this conclusion, but fewer people are capable of leading a selfless life, which is why destructive emotions are so prevalent.

Matthieu Ricard, PhD, a Buddhist monk at Shechen Monastery in Katmandu explains as follows. "Destructive emotions are precisely what prevent one from seeing things as they are...Obscuring emotions get in the way of a correct ascertainment of the nature of reality and of the nature of one's mind. When one sees things as they are, it becomes easier to rid oneself of negative emotion and to develop positive emotions, which are grounded in sound reason--including a much more spontaneous and natural compassion."

Ricard also explains how frequently attachment is confused with love. "Excessive attachment--desire, for instance--will not let us see a balance between the pleasant and unpleasant, constructive and destructive, qualities in something or someone, and causes us to see it for awhile as 100% attractive--and therefore, makes us want it." Likewise, aversion blinds us to the positive qualities of a person or object, making us completely negative.

In such a state, good judgment is nearly, if not totally, impossible.

When do emotions become destructive? The Dalai Lama answers this critical question as follows: "The moment they disrupt a mind's equilibrium." As soon as a destructive emotion enters the mind, "the calmness, the tranquility, the balance of the mind are immediately disrupted". On the other hand, those emotions that do not disrupt the sense of well-being--but enhance it--are considered positive or constructive.

The Dalai Lama recently attended a medical conference in the U.S. where a participating psychologist presented a study based on research over a long period of time. The psychologist found that there was an indisputable correlation between early death, high blood pressure and heart disease on one side, and a disproportionately high use of personal pronouns on the other ("I", "me" and "mine").

The Dalai Lama says we should ask ourselves the following question: "What benefit do I as an individual derive from my self-centeredness and from the belief in my existence as an independent self?"

"When you really think deeply, you will realize the answer is 'not very much'."

Everyone is aware of the price appreciation of housing in the Wood River Valley. While many have benefited, the high cost of housing is creating serious problems for the educators in our community. It is becoming difficult, if not impossible, for many teachers in our Valley to purchase suitable housing that is also affordable.

According to Advocates for Real Community Housing and the Blaine County Housing Authority, the income needed to purchase a $415,000 median single family home in our Valley is $137,000. That is four times our starting teacher salary of $34,442, and we are one of the highest paying school districts in Idaho.

Our housing prices have increased 176% but the teachers' salaries have risen only 49% over the ten years from 1994 - 2004.

"The last time a family could afford to buy a single family home in Blaine County was 1994."

In the past, 1 out of 10 teachers would decline a position when offered one due to the cost of living in our community. This year, 5 out of 20 vacant teaching positions were declined due to the high cost of living. The head of the Blaine County School District, Dr. Jim Lewis, recently said this year was the first time the school district had the three top candidates all decline a position due to living costs.

Another study shows that nearly 75% of teachers' annual income is dedicated to housing costs. The Blaine County School District is a closed district, meaning it is unable to accept students from outside of the county--even if their parents are employed by the school. Therefore, living outside the county is not a viable option for our teachers.

Clearly, these trends cannot continue. Urgent action is needed. As a compassionate gesture, we are asking the community to help in funding affordable housing for our children's teachers and school district employees. Education is the future, but we must act now.

If you would like to make a contribution to "Spreading Compassion & Helping the Tibetan Community", please make your check payable to:

If you would like to make a contribution for affordable housing for our teachers and educators, please make your check payable to*:

Board of Directors: