The Meaning of Compassion

By Category: Harmonious LivingTags:

Although “compassion is the foundation of Buddhism” is a popular slogan, compassion is not the exclusive property of Buddhists. It is a common treasure shared by all sentient beings. Because there is compassion in this world, life is full of meaning. As we endure the trials and tribulations life offers us, compassion inspires us with endless visions.

The mind of compassion is the ever-flowing fountainhead of all living things, because compassion is Buddha Nature.

Sentient beings can attain Buddhahood because of compassion. Compassion is also the basic quality of being human, for one can be without everything but still have compassion! When we have compassion, our speech and actions are like sunshine, pristine water, or a pretty flower, bringing light, purity, and joy to the world.

Compassion is not just offering sympathy. If we stand up to fight for truth and justice where there is oppression or for the righteous when they are slandered and attacked, then we are acting courageously and practicing real compassion. The practice of compassion requires wisdom because it is not simply a kind thought; it is helping others by being wise and reasonable. Compassion is not just going along with the crowd, but serving others by holding the right views and thoughts. It is neither attempting to selfishly benefit one’s own friends and family, nor currying favors. The highest level of compassion should be completely selfless and equal for all.

Compassion is the actual practice of our ethics, not the standard by which we measure others.

Compassion is not limited to only providing kind words of praise and encouragement. Sometimes circumstances may require us to exercise forcefulness in order to prevail over atrocities that are being committed. This is more difficult, but nevertheless a practice of great compassion. In today’s society, many people often misinterpret the meaning of compassion and let forgiveness and magnanimity be reduced to leniency and indulgence, disrupting social order in the process.

Compassion is sometimes misused in a degenerative manner that may even result in or encourage crime. For example, randomly freeing live animals might result in their death; giving away money arbitrarily might foster greed. Therefore, the practice of compassion must be directed by wisdom; otherwise, well-meaning intentions can be completely ruined.

Compassion should not be static but rather a continuous sublimation of care and good will. The Flower Ornament Sutra [Avatamsaka Sutra] says,

“One only wishes for the liberation of all sentient beings from suffering, but does not hope for one’s own serenity.”

True compassion, then, lies in the willingness to be burdened by the concerns of the world and also to be delighted by the happiness of all humanity. There are many unfulfilled dreams in this world, and when we practice compassion, we sometimes come up short ourselves. However, only compassion can restore peace and harmony amidst conflict; only compassion can create the affinity needed to succeed in any endeavor. Compassion is truly the inexhaustible treasure of life!

From All in a Thought, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

Speaking with Kind Words
If we want to understand what the Dharma teaches us about building affinity and living in harmony with others, we must first understand the four great all-embracing virtues. The Buddha teaches that for us to realize our true capacity of connecting with and serving our fellow citizens, we have to first build a good rapport, and the four virtues are tools to that end. The four Read more
Live Well Through Observing the Precepts
Observing the precepts is the concrete manifestation of compassion and the bodhisattva path. Read more
Five Precepts: Freedom of the Heart
Many of us think that after undertaking the precepts life will become a matter of you-can’t-do-this and you-can’t-do-that. We wonder if that isn’t limiting us even more. We worry that it will mean a loss of freedom. This is why some people will question: Why should I receive the precepts and end up just limiting myself!In fact, if we were to go to a prison Read more
Better Silent than Noisy
The great masters of the Chan School have always been like leisurely clouds and wild cranes, sometimes dwelling in the mountain forests, sometimes living by the water. Read more
Transformed by the Precepts
The Buddhist precepts are here to protect us from wrongdoing, lead us away from what is bad, and towards what is good. Vinaya Master Daoxuan of the Tang dynasty composed the Simplified and Amended Handbook of the Four-Part Vinaya [Sifenlü Shanfan Buque Xingshi Chao], in which he analyzed the precepts in terms of their “rules,” “essence,” “practice,” and “characteristics.” When one puts the actual rules Read more
The Virtue of Giving
If we want to understand what the Dharma teaches us about building affinity and living in harmony with others, we must first understand the four great all-embracing virtues. The Buddha teaches that for us to realize our true capacity of connecting with and serving our fellow citizens, we have to first build a good rapport, and the four virtues are tools to that end. The four Read more
Healthy Emotions, Healthy Love
Our emotions are a very important part of our everyday life, and they star in a leading role on the stage of relationships. The ability to feel and our freedom to act upon these feelings give us both joy and sorrow, and it is imperative that we maintain our emotional well-being to minimize the potential for suffering within relationships. Emotions are the glue that bind Read more
The Mind is the Source of Unwholesomeness
The Buddha often explained emptiness and impermanence by getting people to think about how phenomena arise, change, and decline. Read more
Be Content in Body and Mind
Lessen desire and be without any wishes and the body and mind will be at ease.When our desires are balanced and reasonable, we can be content. The Buddha taught that deep wisdom can be found only by following a “middle way” between dualistic extremes. The middle way can always be found by contemplating which side of a dualistic pair is contending for our attention. If Read more
Overcoming Greed
Greed is a basic disease of all sentient beings. In our realm, the desire realm (kamadhatu), the force and effects of greed can be felt especially strongly. Greed is based on ignorance and cannot function without it. The fundamental ignorance that enables greed to function is the belief in a self that exists separately and independently from other sentient beings. This belief leads to nothing Read more
I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (III)
It is my hope that our Buddhist monks will all become monks who give support in all directions and not become monks who live off all directions. Whoever it may be, the monastic followers or the lay disciples, although we have not yet attained enlightenment, we can still broadly make affinities with others first, so as to become aspiring bodhisattvas who will ensure that “Buddhism Read more
Patience and Persistence
Being patient is an art, and being persistent is a kind of hope. Influenced by today’s instant culture, modern people tend to expect instant results in anything they do. Practitioners want to have attainment in this life, scholars want to become instant laureates in their fields, and entrepreneurs want to gain a huge fortune overnight. As the saying goes, “A flower picked before its time Read more