Compassion in Buddhism is a central concept and one of the four sublime state. To reach enlightenment a person must have both wisdom and compassion. Compassion means that you are willing to help shoulder other's burdens. Selflessness helps combat your own suffering. Compassion brings understanding and tenderness to the two truth doctrine (covered in a previous post.) It's important to understand that even the Buddha had to lear for six years how to care for the Buddha's self before the Buddha could give compassion to others.
Compassion is in the mind, a yearning for others to be free from suffering. We must have compassion come from both wisdom and a warm heart with a legitimate concern for the well being of others. We must understand our own suffering to help other's with theirs. Quite simply, compassionate acts must be don from the goodness of your heart. It's important to understand the correlation between giving and receiving. One begets the other.
Wisdom makes us aware of our own self. Compassion and wisdom, when practiced correctly, will hea our own emotional being. This world is broken. Most do not see each and everyone suffering. Even if we are not wanting compassion now, one day we will need it again. Compassion, quite simply, understands pain and alleviates it. Compassion knows no selfishness.
Compassion is like a mirror, reflecting other's pain so we can see our own suffering. There pain may be quite a bit than our own. It is only natural to want to help others. As mentioned, compassion must come from the heart. Compassion is to be used to not only help other's overcome their pain, but also to empower each other and encourage them. Sharing other's pain is meant for everyone, not just a sage or teacher. You can help other's, and burden their pain to better understand yourself. Compassion effects positively both yourself and others. Compassion is different from both empathy and sympathy: compassion is loving kindness in action.
Do not be alarmed if you don't fully understand compassion now: as it was mentioned, it took the Buddha years before the Buddha could understand compassion. We have known of compassion for generations, and we know that it is the great negativity equalizer. Where we suffer from what is involved with evil and other damaging states of mind, compassion cures the evil you have done and the evil done to other's. Compassion heals all, and is needed to understand the other sublime states, whereas they coexist and corelate. It is safe to say equanimity (previously discussed in a post) love, and sympathetic joy both add on and take from compassion. (We will discuss both love and sympathetic joy more in depth in the next two posts:stay tuned.)
In conclusion, compassion is to be practiced from the heart through loving kindness and is different from both sympathy and empathy. As mentioned, compassion is one of the for sublime states, and as mentioned has a relationship with the other three. Compassion is a form of emotional healing for both the giver and the recipient, meaning both giving and receiving coexists and one can't be without the other. Compassion is in a class of it's own and is an integral part of Buddhism. Practice it regularly, and you will find the answer to your pain.
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