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Notes
Compassion forms a central pillar for nearly all religions, and this is particularly true of the Buddhist tradition. The Sanskrit word for compassion is karuṇā, and in the Buddhist tradition compassion is not the passive response of pity toward the pain of ourselves or others. Rather, compassion is an active wish that living beings be free from their suffering. It can range from the mere wish that someone be relieved of a headache to the universal compassion that wishes for every being without exception to be free of even the subtlest forms of suffering. In all the Buddhist traditions compassion plays a fundamental role in all aspects of practice, from those just beginning their journey on the path to the highest levels of practice. The Buddhist teachings encourage us to engage in practices and develop ways of thinking that extend our compassion out to a much wider circle than just our loved ones and those close to us. Eventually, through training and awareness, we will be able to extend our compassion out even to our enemies and those who harm us. In the sūtras, the feeling of love and compassion is likened to a mother who would risk her own life to protect her only child.
We may all feel this sense of concern in the face of the suffering of those close to us. This immediate form of compassion is very powerful, but at this basic biological level it is still very biased. It focuses only on those we like, not on those toward whom we have neutral or negative feelings.
In contrast, Buddhism stresses that our compassion should not be biased. It should focus not on a small number of people who we hold dear to us. The Buddhist teachings inspire us to cultivate this strong feeling of concern equally in relation to all beings, whether they are our friends or our enemies. However, this kind of compassion does not arise naturally within us. It has to be cultivated through training and awareness. Eventually, with effort, our compassion for all beings can become effortless and spontaneous.
Starting with our innate feeling of compassion for those close to us, we extend that same feeling out so that it eventually encompasses every single living being.
We try to overcome our limited ways of thinking and feeling until the wish for others to be free of suffering becomes limitless. Eventually, with training and effort, our compassion for all beings can become effortless and spontaneous.
This way of thinking finds one of its fullest expressions in the form of the compassion that is included in the four immeasurable thoughts (Pāli. cattāribrahmavihārā)—immeasureable equanimity, love, compassion, and joy.
Here, immeasurable compassion is the wish for all beings to be free of all suffering and all the causes of that suffering.
To help us achieve the transformation from an attitude focused mainly on our own suffering to one focused on all others' suffering, the Buddhist teachings provide us with techniques to break down our self-centred outlook and to help open us up to the pain and suffering of others around us.
His Holiness on Training in Compassion
His Holiness on Compassion for Peace of Mind
For a start, it is possible to divide every kind of happiness and suffering into two main categories: mental and physical. Of the two, it is the mind that exerts the greatest influence on most of us. Unless we are either gravely ill or deprived of basic necessities, our physical condition plays a secondary role in life. If the body is content, we virtually ignore it. The mind, however, registers every event, no matter how small. Hence we should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace.
From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.
The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.
https://www.dalailama.com/messages/compassion-and-human-values/compassion-as-the-source-of-happiness
FOR MORE ON COMPASSION IN RELATION TO BODHICITTA AND HOW TO DEVELOP IT READ ON
