Compassion As Training
From TheBuddhism.Net
In Buddhism, the ideal of practice is to selflessly act to alleviate suffering wherever it appears. You may argue it is impossible to elminate suffering, and maybe it is, yet we’re to respond anyway.
What does being nice to others have to do with enlightenment? For one thing, it helps us realize that “individual me” and “individual you” are mistaken ideas. And as long as we’re stuck in the idea of “what’s in it for me?” we are not yet wise.
In Being Upright: Zen and the Bodhisattva Precepts, Soto Zen teacher Reb Anderson wrote, ”Reaching the limits of practice as a separate personal activity, we are ready to receive help from the compassionate realms beyond our discriminating awareness.”
Reb Anderson continued, “We realize the intimate connection between the conventional truth and the ultimate truth through the practice of compassion. It is through compassion that we become thorougly grounded in the conventional truth and thus prepared to receive the ultimate truth. Compassion brings great warmth and kindness to both perspectives.
It helps us to be flexible in our interpretation of the truth, and teaches us to give and receive help in practicing the precepts.”
In The Essence of the Heart Sutra, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote,
“According to Buddhism, compassion is an aspiration, a state of mind, wanting others to be free from suffering. It’s not passive — it’s not empathy alone — but rather an empathetic altruism that actively strives to free others from suffering. Genuine compassion must have both wisdom and loving-kindness. That is to say, one must understand the nature of the suffering from which we wish to free others (this is wisdom), and one must experience deep intimacy and empathy with other sentient beings (this is loving kindness).”
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Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental or emotional pains of another and themselves. Practice loving kindness and compassion at all times nor matter where. Researchers have confirmed that compassion and can be cultivated with training and practice in long run. Compassion training may also benefit people who have social anxiety. Compassion brings great warmth and kindness to all of us.
Thank you or this sharing.