' () is generally translated as

compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

and sometimes as

self-compassion Self-compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. Kristin Neff has defined self-compassion as being composed of three main elements – self-kindness, common humanity, and min ...

or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the

Indic religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification of ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

, and

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

Buddhism

is important in all schools of Buddhism. For

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

Buddhists, dwelling in is a means for attaining a happy present life and heavenly rebirth. For

Mahāyāna ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhism, Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BC ...

Buddhists, is a co-requisite for becoming a

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

Theravada Buddhism

In Theravāda Buddhism, is one of the four "divine abodes" ('' brahmavihāra''), along with loving kindness (

Pāli Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...

: '' mettā''), sympathetic joy (''

mudita ''Muditā'' ( Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) means joy; especially sympathetic or vicarious joy, or the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being. The traditional paradigmatic example of this mind-state is the ...

'') and equanimity ('' upekkha''). In the

Pali canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During th ...

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

recommends cultivating these four virtuous mental states to both householders and monastics. When one develops these four states, Buddha counsels radiating them in all directions, as in the following stock canonical phrase regarding : Such a practice purifies one's mind, avoids evil-induced consequences, leads to happiness in one's present life and, if there is a future

karmic Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...

, it will be in a

heavenly realm Heavenly may refer to: * Pertaining to Heaven Music Bands * Heavenly (British band), an English pop band * Heavenly (French band), a French heavy metal band Albums * ''Heavenly'' (Johnny Mathis album), 1959 * ''Heavenly'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel a ...

. The Pali commentaries distinguish between and mettā in the following complementary manner: Karuna is the desire to remove harm and suffering (''ahita- dukkha-apanaya-kāmatā'') from others; while mettā is the desire to bring about the well-being and happiness (''hita- sukha-upanaya-kāmatā'') of others. The "far enemy" of is

cruelty Cruelty is the pleasure in inflicting suffering or inaction towards another's suffering when a clear remedy is readily available. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involve ...

, a mind-state in obvious opposition. The "near enemy" (quality which superficially resembles but is in fact more subtly in opposition to it), is (sentimental)

pity Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others, and is used in a comparable sense to '' compassion'', ''condolence'' or ''empathy'' – the word deriving from the Latin ''pietas'' (etymon also of '' piety''). Self-pity is pi ...

: here too one wants to remove suffering, but for a partly selfish (attached) reason hence not the pure motivation. In the

Pāli Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During th ...

, Buddhas are also described as choosing to teach "out of compassion for beings."

Mahayana Buddhism

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, is one of the two qualities, along with enlightened wisdom (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: '' prajña''), to be cultivated on the

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

path. According to scholar

Rupert Gethin Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin (born 1957, in Edinburgh) is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and codirector of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and (since 2003) president of ...

, this elevation of to the status of prajña is one of the distinguishing factors between the Theravāda

arahant In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...

ideal and the Mahāyāna bodhisattva ideal: Throughout the Mahāyāna world,

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

(Sanskrit; Chinese:

Guan Yin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

; Japanese:

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

; Tibetan: Chenrezig) is a bodhisattva who embodies . In the Intermediate section of the ''Stages of Meditation'' by

Kamalaśīla Kamalaśīla (Skt. Kamalaśīla; Tib. པདྨའི་ངང་ཚུལ་, Pemé Ngang Tsul; Wyl. pad+ma'i ngang tshul) (c. 740-795) was an Indian Buddhist of Nalanda Mahavihara who accompanied Śāntarakṣita (725–788) to Tibet at th ...

, he writes: In

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

, one of the foremost authoritative texts on the Bodhisattva path is the ''

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra The ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' or ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' ( sa, बोधिसत्त्वाचर्यावतार; Tibetan: བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ་ ''b ...

'' by Shantideva. In the eighth section entitled ''Meditative Concentration'', Shantideva describes meditation on Karunā as thus:

Jainism

is associated with the Jain practice of compassion. For instance, is one of the four reflections of universal friendship — along with amity (Sanskrit: '' maitri''), appreciation (''pramoda'') and equanimity (''madhyastha'')—used to stop (''

samvara ''Samvara'' (''saṃvara'') is one of the '' tattva'' or the fundamental reality of the world as per the Jain philosophy. It means stoppage—the stoppage of the influx of the material karmas into the soul consciousness. The karmic process in ...

'') the influx of

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

.Shah (n.d.).
Regarding ''samvara'', see "Release from karmas". From a comparative religion perspective, cf. Buddhism's four

brahmavihara The ''brahmavihārās'' (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") are a series of four Buddhism, Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables (Sanskrit: अप्रमा ...

; for instance, ''maitri'' is often identified as a Sanskrit correlate of the Pali ''mettā'' (Rhys Davids & Stede, 1921-5, p. 540, entry for "Mettā," retrieved a

.

Miscellaneous

is a common first name throughout

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, used for both genders.

Notes

Sources

Bhikkhu Bodhi Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944), born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk, ordained in Sri Lanka and currently teaching in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publica ...

(trans.) (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. . * Buddha Dharma Education Association & BuddhaNet (n.d.). ''Buddhist Studies for Secondary Students, Unit 6: The Four Immeasurables''. Retrieved from "BuddhaNet" at http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s15.htm. * Buddhaghosa, Bhadantacariya &

Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

(trans.) (1999). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. . * Gethin, Rupert (1998). ''The Foundations of Buddhism''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. * Monier-Williams, Monier (1899, 1964). ''A Sanskrit-English Dictionary''. London: Oxford University Press. . Retrieved 2008-05-09 from "Cologne University" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/index.php?sfx=pdf. * Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:

Pali Text Society The Pali Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts". Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...

. Retrieved 2008-05-09 from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/. * Saddhatissa, H. (1985/2003) Curzon, London/Humanities Press, New York, 1985 * Salzberg, Sharon (1995). Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Boston: Shambhala Publications. . * Shah, Pravin K. (n.d.). ''Nine Tattvas (Principles)''. Retrieved from "Harvard U." at https://web.archive.org/web/20090605003634/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/9tattva.htm. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1994). ''Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas'' ( AN 3.65). Retrieved 2008-05-10 from "Access to Insight" at https://web.archive.org/web/20111006181109/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). ''Ayacana Sutta: The Request'' ( SN 6.1). Retrieved 2016-04-30 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn06/sn06.001.than.html. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Metta Sutta: Good Will (1)'' ( AN 4.125). Retrieved 2008-05-10 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.125.than.html. * Warder, A. K. (1970; reprinted 2004). Indian Buddhism. Motilal Banarsidass: Delhi. .

External links

*
Four Sublime States and The Practice of Loving Kindness
' by

Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu (born Osbert John S. Moore; 25 June 1905 – 8 March 1960) was a British Theravada Buddhist monk and translator of Pali literature. Biography Born in Cambridge, Osbert was the only child of biologist John Edmund Sharrock M ...

Nyanaponika Thera Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was a German-born Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society and autho ...

*
Don’t Push – Just Use the Weight of Your Own Body
' by

Ajahn Amaro Ajahn Amaro (born 1956) is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and teacher, and abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South East England. The centre, in practice as much for ordinary people as for monasti ...

Dharma Dictionary - RangjungYesheWiki - Snying Rje / Karuna

Caring For the Poorest children in Cambodia: Karuna Foundation - by Cathy and Phil Kiely

The network of Karuna-Shechen foundations in Europe, North America and Asia is raising funds for Karuna-Shechen humanitarian projects in the Himalayan region.

{{Authority control Wholesome factors in Buddhism Jain philosophical concepts Sanskrit words and phrases