Practicing compassion

Everybody smiles in the Same Language.

impressive and astute all rolled into one. You deserve a green karma for making us all better for having read it.

Pity is a judgement. Compassion requires action.

Hello Shabali, thanks you for your words, for which I humbly accept the validity.

For those minds who seek freedom; the path of the Bodhisattva is unparallelled.


The Sanskrit term Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. What makes someone a Bodhisattva is her or his dedication to the ultimate welfare of other beings.
(A bodhisattva, literally an awake (bodhi) being (sattva), is an ideal in Mahayana Buddhism. Having intimately experienced the interconnection of all life, a bodhisattva vows to work for the awakening of all and not just for oneself alone. )


The Goal is the Practice Itself

We begin Dharma practice by developing love and compassion. There is no end to Dharma practice, but if there were, it would end with love and compassion. This is the core essence of Dharma practice. Developing love and compassion is the essence of any Dharma practice we can do. All teachings have the same message, that of generating love and compassion. So it is crucial that we know how to essentialize all of the Dharma teachings, not thinking that all these Dharma teachings have separate goals. When we practice Bodhicitta, loving-kindness, the goal is already here, right here in each of us, in this moment. It does not exist in the future when we are better practitioners. The goal IS what we are doing right now. Practicing love and kindness is the goal of the practice. When we practice love and compassion for other beings, for ourselves, we are truly enlightened in that moment. There is no other definition of enlightenment apart from having love and compassion. The goal is already actualized in this moment. The goal is the practice itself.



[link to www.naljorprisondharmaservice.org]

People mix up a lot of things, like happiness and fun.

The worst thing one can do is to feel sorry for someone else.

"All people are my people"

I am compassionate towards every being stuck in Hell with me. I just wish more people felt the same. I'm glad you're making the effort OP.

"All people are my people"

I am compassionate towards every being stuck in Hell with me. I just wish more people felt the same. I'm glad you're making the effort OP.

I like your perspective on compassion. Mine is, compassion is love in action to others(empathy).

Am struggling to understand the very topic and differentiate it all with emotions taken out of the equations

Namaste my friend! And thank you for you too. :)


Yes practice is the goal, or goal is to practice.

When we practice compassion, and have experience it teaches us that we all want compassion, we all are capable of doing it and that wisdom comes along with compassion.

So true <smiles> as wisdom leads to compassion, compassion leads to wisdom.

I remember a Tibetan teaching that represented them as the two pillars either side of the gateway to enlightenment, as a relative beginner I got my first glimpse of a truth I try unsuccessfully live up to.

I can sincerely say that as a 'seeker of truth', my experience with an examination of 'bodhichitta' ( [link to en.wikipedia.org] was by far the most deep and profound.

To transform yourself thus is not a task taken lightly. The correct orientation or posture of the mind is a submission to the duration of your intent ~ The duration is for infinite incarnations.
Although 'Unattainable,' he vows to attain it; At the cost of his own happiness he will reincarnate again and again until the suffering of all beings is ended.

To those beings whose compassion extends to their bitterest foe, I pay homage.


Spontaneity

"Bodhicitta is a sudden and lasting compassion for all beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently-existing self.

This spark of compassion motivates one to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as quickly as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings. Bodhicitta is a felt need to replace others' suffering with bliss. Since the ultimate end of suffering is moksha, bodhicitta necessarily involves a motivation to help others to awaken (to find bodhi).

One for whom bodhicitta is the prime motivation for all actions is called a bodhisattva."

Glad you have found compassion, remember to spread it towards all beings.

And yes it was very deep and profound journey for me too. Meditation after meditation I was almost frustfrated cause I did not get the point of this all. I was looking from somewhere else, that was my problem, I looked outside, not inside, I did not ask myself who I am. And when I finally started ask myself who I am, slowly but surely I started realize all point of this. This puzzle started solve it self.

It seems to me some people mix up practicing compassion with pity. Or that practicing compassion should be pointed only to those that are emotionally attached to us. People are in some what delusion that if you are not emotionally attached to person whom you spread your compassion is impossible. The buddha taught us that we should practice loving-kindness and compassion towards all sentient beings without any exceptions ,regardless do we like them or not.

Compassion and pity should not be mixed up. Pity has it roots in fear and it carries this sense of arrogance and condescencion, sometimes even a smug feeling of "Glad it's not me". The key is to realize that all beings are the same and we all suffer in same way, and to honor all those who suffer, and to know that you are neither separate from nor superior to anyone.

And compassion without emotional attachment is possible. We should clarify the difference between attachment and compassion. You see true compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave towards us negatively. Genuine compassion is not based on our own expectations but on the needs of the other.

We all think in some level that compassion is important, but problem is that the compassion is flawed. We measure it out. Example, we feel compassion for people around us but not for animals and other types of sentient beings. Or in other way there is some who feel compassion for animals and other sentient beings but not for human. Or we feel compassion only people in our country but for not others in other countries. We simply draw line somewhere. We feel compassion for those on one side of the line but not for those on the other side of the line. That is why our compassion is flawed. It is not necessary to draw that line. Nor is it suitable. Everyone, including you wants compassion, and we can practice our compassion to everyone, every single sentient being.

"Whatever joy there is in this world
All comes from desiring others to be happy,
And whatever suffering there is in this world,
All comes from desiring myself to be happy.

But what need is there to say much more?
The childish work for their own benefit,
The Buddhas work for the benefit of others.
Just look at the difference between them!"

-Shantideva

Love & Light!