The Christ/Buddha Beggar

As you continue to meditate on compassion, when you see someone suffer, your first response becomes not mere pity but deep compassion. You feel for that person respect and even gratitude, because you now know that whoever prompts you to develop compassion by his or her suffering is in fact giving you the greatest gift of all, as you are being helped to develop that very quality you need most in your progress toward enlightenment.
That is why we say in Tibet that the beggar who is asking you for money, or the sick, the old woman wringing your heart, may be buddhas in disguise, manifesting on your path to help you grow in compassion and so move toward buddhahood.
Glimpse After Glimpse,
Sogyal Rinpoche

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I admit this is a hard one because there are so many panhandlers in this town that it gets downright annoying to try to get from one place to another on State Street. I suppose a buddha would say that each one offers an opportunity to open up to the Christ within but I have my doubts. There are times I can see that going as far as offering a kind word or smile rather than contempt or pity can be the least compassionate thing I can do. Besides, perhaps it might have been because of my own experience and have been where most of these people are, it was contempt and pity I imagined or saw in the eyes of passers-by that goaded me towards action… action enough to put down the jug and go get a job. There are so many places to find food and shelter in Santa Barbara, I feel relieved of the responsibility to yield to the demands for money that, for the most part, would only perpetuate an unhealthy dependency. However, when I do see someone disabled by mental illness or physical impairment, there is room in my heart for a more apparent display of compassion. The important thing for me is to stay centered and in staying centered comes an ability to see the Christ nature in the buddha before me and to give the most compassionate response to his or her needs. I’m still working on this.
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