Can compassion really be cultivated?

[Jim D.]

Compassion can be taught and learned over the span of life through observational learning and modeling of compassion. There is plenty of research out there especially with children.

[Orion]

Depends on the person I guess. Sometimes by acting, you become the act. It's hard to really know what's going on inside any given person, even those whom we might deem as insincere. So modeling is for sure one approach.

 

Debunking all your inner crap and gradually peeling back the onion layers of ego leads to natural compassion IMO because those layers are what causes the veil of separation. Without so much duality, inner peace and love are our ground states. I don't mean love in the platonic sense but the interconnected sense. Since this is all one, anything acted upon from the inside affects the outside, and vice versa, because neither is really separate.

 

Love is what you already are, so it's ironic to observe ego trying to achieve loving compassion when it is in fact ego which stands in the way of its inherent splendor.

[doc benway]

Here's a beautiful quotation I just came across regarding bodhicitta:

 

"On my part, I cannot claim to have realized the awakening mind or bodhichitta. However, I have a deep admiration for bodhichitta. I feel that the admiration I have for bodhichitta is my wealth and a source of my courage. This is also the basis of my happiness; it is what enables me to make others happy, and it is the factor that makes me feel satisfied and content."

 

—The Dalai Lama, Practicing Wisdom

[Jim D.]

Here's a beautiful quotation I just came across regarding bodhicitta:

 

"On my part, I cannot claim to have realized the awakening mind or bodhichitta. However, I have a deep admiration for bodhichitta. I feel that the admiration I have for bodhichitta is my wealth and a source of my courage. This is also the basis of my happiness; it is what enables me to make others happy, and it is the factor that makes me feel satisfied and content."

 

—The Dalai Lama, Practicing Wisdom

 

There are other famous people, and not so famous people have spoken similar words e.g. Scott Peck: "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.”

[3bob]

lots of great insights and reflections in this string...!

 

we can start out doing something mechanically (so to speak) and at some point it may work automatically. 

[doc benway]

Though I agree that compassion is an indication of spiritual achievement, I question whether deliberately acting compassionately is the way to actually become compassionate. Deliberately acting compassionately might appear to be a positive action that makes everyone concerned feel better, but because it is a choice, which therefore comes from duality, what is to stop ego from viewing this as proof of ones spiritual nature, from thinking “I am doing better, I was so selfless and compassionate today” – isn’t this just congratulating oneself and spiritualising ego?

 

The only way I can see to becoming compassionate is to remove the mental and emotional and egoic restrictions on allowing our true compassionate nature to shine forth, isn’t anything else just adding to the structured self that we have created?  

 

The other point I'd like to bring out explicitly is that, in the Tibetan traditions, compassion is insufficient.

It must be combined with wisdom. 

As has already been touched on, wisdom is the insight into the abiding nature of things - emptiness.

With respect to the practice of compassion, wisdom is the realization of the emptiness of self.

 

In the presence of wisdom, the ego does not manifest, therefore compassion will not reinforce the ego and will work on behalf of the other, rather than directly or indirectly benefit the self. 

As Bindi so rightly points out, compassion acting in the presence of ego tends to push what the "I" thinks is needed on others.

This is often self serving and inaccurate. 

 

Compassion acting in the absence of ego will not manifest unless something is truly needed, and when it is needed the action is based on what the other needs because the "I" is not operational. 

As pointed out by the Dalai Lama above, the perfection of this idea is elusive but the practice is well within our grasp.

 

The combination of wisdom and compassion is often referred to as skillful means. Skillful refers to the presence of wisdom and the means is the practice of compassion.

[rex]

Bodhicitta can also be translated as 'heart of the enlightened mind', the union of wisdom and compassion. The light and warmth of the sun is also a metaphor for these two qualities.

Edited July 31, 2016 by rex

[Jim D.]

Jesus also said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

[thelerner]

Sure, helping others you learn compassion.  Its literally called Karma yoga, serving others to the best of your ability, opens your heart a bit.  You realize there but for the Grace of God go I. 

[Jim D.]

The Beatles sang Love, Love, Love.

[cold]

I often rely on Oh but for the grace of God there go I!

[Jim D.]

"Love the one you're with..."