A few weeks ago, I attended a meditation retreat in the mountains of North Carolina. Three times a day, we would practice sitting meditation. Every participant sat on a cushion called a "zafu." The meditation center had a collection of zafus that were available for everyone to use, but participants were also welcome to bring their own. On the first night of the retreat, I found a green zafu near the pile of public zafus that I picked up to use for the remainder of the retreat. For four days, I meditated while using the green zafu. On the final morning of the retreat, one of the other participants came up to me and asked if I wouldn't mind letting him pack his zafu with the rest of his belongings. In that moment, I realized that I had mistakenly picked up someone else's personal zafu and had been using it the entire time! I apologized profusely, but the other participant's response was simply, "It was good for me to share this weekend. By sharing with you, I was able to broaden my scope of compassion and learn more about myself." His upbeat message, along with his generous spirit and forgiving nature, were inspirational to me. I left the retreat with my own broadened scope of compassion.
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