Bodhisattva: Compassion In Action
Why name a company something no one can spell?
Because names are vehicles of information.
Life is humorous sometimes and way back, a couple of decades ago, when I was pondering a name for my manual therapy practice, I had one of those epiphanies and voice transmissions I am prone to have from time to time. I was driving along, thinking about a name, a name... and I heard,
"The name of your company is Bodhisattva Healing Arts."
My first reaction was a facepalm then a groan.
"Hang on a minute," I said, "No one here knows what a Bodhisattva is, they certainly can't spell it, let alone pronounce it, and it is a HORRIBLE URL! Do you have to make life so difficult?"
The voice said,
"Call it whatever you want, but that's the name."
Years before, I went through that process with my name, Anahata, and learned that "do whatever, but" is just code to stick with the simple direction I received. I filed the business name, jumped through all the legal hoops, secured the URL, and of course, twenty years later I'm still spelling it, pronouncing it, but no longer wondering WHY that name was essential.
Names carry information. Physicists tell us information is carried by light. As I began to work within the context of this name, I found I was capable of accessing a higher frequency of light, or information, throughout the body. Additionally, it became clear that the work was a conduit for teaching self compassion. In Buddhist philosophy, a Bodhisattva is an enlightened being that continues to re-embody to help others attain enlightenment. This selfless act pretty much represents the pinnacle of compassion and it called me into the service of manual therapy where my clients could learn self-compassion for themselves and their body enabling them to heal at much deeper and expanded levels.
Throughout the years I came to observe a critical component of healing and recovery is helping the client understand what is happening to them physically. Creating a presence where understanding can activate an inner self-compassion inspires my clients to stay the course of recovery which can be long and challenging. This is why I say,
Deep is a Presence, not a Pressure. ™
I do the best I can to provide answers to their pressing questions such as:
What is the injury exactly?
Where is it located?
Why is the pain so acute and intense or dull and chronic?
Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say I hurt?
Will I get better?
How long will recovery take?
Today, one of my clients sent me a message that reminded me of the importance of the essence of the Bodhisattva, and the power of compassion. She said,
"Your care is a life saver for private, personal comfort, and peace of mind. You have helped me understand my injury."
Sometimes, life doesn't make sense, especially the things that are uncommon, unfamiliar, and will just make things less convenient--like spelling bodhisattva a dozen times a day--but the inconvenience is nothing compared to the reward of knowing the impact that extra effort will make in another person's life.
Patricia Anahata Little BS, LMT, LDT
You get one brain, one body, treat them well.™