The Small Group
As is noted in the previous section, to reduce personal suffering requires some sort of introspection. To reduce the suffering of others, however, requires interaction with them and a different set of skills and practices. Of course it's easy to plan how to interact, but difficult to actually carry out the plans.
We can begin by noting that there are at least two levels of interaction: within small groups and within large groups. This section addresses interactions that we have in small groups.
By small groups, I mean those groups in which we can individually know and interact with each member. Examples are the family, a sports team, a work department, and most PTAs. Since the groups are small, by their very nature they offer the best chance to practice what we've learned and also the best chance to directly observe the effects of our efforts.