Tashi Nyima gave a moving Thanksgiving talk, which you can find below. The story he shares reminds me of the story of a black teen, Keshia Thomas, who threw herself in front of a white man and KKK member to protect him from an angry mob back in 1996 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, simply because she knew it was the right thing to do – to be kind to another human being.

But many Buddhists believe in compassion for ALL sentient beings, not just for those of their own species, which Tashi Nyima addresses in his talk.

I’m not a Buddhist and I don’t believe this belief and way of life has anything to do with a form of religion. I know many non-Buddhists who simply believe in universal compassion. For me, it is an extension of my very being, breath of life, and spirituality and I don’t know any other way to be.

I had my own journey to get to where I am today and I honor the individual journeys everyone has, as it all has its divine order and is perfect every step of the way.

And yet things are increasingly changing and more and more people are realizing that there is more than one way of being to choose from and this happens because others start to offer new perspectives to soulfully explore through their experiences they’ve discovered and because others have decided to “get in the way” simply to demonstrate there are other options and we don’t have to follow the mob consciousness.

We all have the right and freedom to choose our own reality and we are each unique. The more we realize the power of our sovereign free will and connect with the authenticity of who we are, despite what others think, the more we start discovering the nature of our personal humanity and what reflects this natural rhythm exclusively.

I believe educating ourselves, becoming fully and consciously aware of more than our comfort zones, being curious and open, and really searching within for the truth of who you are, are key to living an empowered, compassionate life.

Tashi Nyima is one man who is “getting in the way”, as he puts it, “trembling with compassion.”