Atlanta, GA — The Emory University Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics (the Compassion Center), with the support of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Presidential Distinguished Professor at Emory, will kick off a 21-Day Compassion Challenge on Saturday, March 6, a press release says.

The 21-Day Compassion Challenge is designed to help people recognize their capacity for compassion and learn how to practice it every day. Over the course of three weeks, participants progress sequentially through a series of topics that explore the transformative power of compassion. Each topic is engaged through daily guided meditations, simple everyday actions and reflective journaling – done virtually at a time convenient to the participant. The course is FREE, and registration is open at CompassionShift.Emory.edu.

“Cultivating compassion toward self and others is the urgent need of our time,” said Lobsang Tenzin Negi, executive director of the Compassion Center. “Compassion is a basic capacity of the human heart that helps us live in harmony with ourselves, with others, and with our planet. It is our hope that people around the world will accept the challenge to devote some time during the 21 days exploring the ways that compassion can create the conditions for a more peaceful and just world, so that our planet and its residents flourish.”

The Challenge begins on March 6 at 10:30 a.m. ET with a Facebook Live Celebration via the @CompassionShift Facebook page. The day’s events include live, guided meditations in multiple languages with facilitators from around the world, panel discussions featuring well-known experts, entertainment, and inspirational messages from His Holiness The Dalai Lama, actor Richard Gere, and others.

The 21-Day Compassion Challenge is part of a new initiative of Emory University’s Compassion Center called The Compassion Shift. Designed to promote an understanding of the nature and benefits of compassion, the Compassion Shift works to advance a global culture of compassion through educational programs tailored to all sectors of society including education, healthcare, business and human services. The program is supported by the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation.

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