Universal Compassion and Universal Hatred

NamelessRiver

Why does a Buddha have universal compassion instead of universal hatred?

taiyaki

who says a buddha doesn't have universal hatred as well as compassion?
the buddha can have anything he/she wants because a buddha is only infinite potential/expression.

i suppose compassion is the natural outpour of a content buddha. just how it is, i don't think there is a reason.

compassionate_warrior

Why would a Buddha have hatred? Buddhas have released the fetters that are the root cause of hatred. That's how the enlightenment biz works.

NamelessRiver

Why would he necessarily have compassion either? Why wouldn't he be indifferent?

taiyaki

while the buddha is enlightened, that doesn't mean he/she is free from hatred. the buddha is a human being just like we are. that being said the buddha also has potential to have hatred as much as compassion.

the buddha just doesn't attach to his/her hatred or even his/her compassion. thus a buddha can be anger, sad, happy, depressed, senile, bat shit crazy, holy, indifferent, insane, blissful. the buddha can express his/her inner emptiness through various of different forms.

the buddha may be more inclined towards the positive qualities, but we must not forget the negative ones. the buddha embodies all of it. the bad and the good.

taiyaki

compassion naturally arises out of emptiness. in out natural state or just as we are without our conditioned selves, compassion just arises. it's an interesting phenomena and the most common one. when we are content, we are overfilled thus we pour that love out to others or rather to ourselves because there is no other, there is just another manifestation of potential.

the buddha can be indifferent. the buddha can be compassionate. the buddha is whatever he/she is in the moment.

NamelessRiver

I could ask it differently perhaps: what is the relation between reality and compassion? Why, when I see reality as it is, do I have compassion, and not other feelings?

"who says a buddha doesn't have universal hatred as well as compassion?"

In sutra, the enumeration of his qualities has compassion.

compassionate_warrior

Why would he necessarily have compassion either? Why wouldn't he be indifferent?

Because he was devoted to ending suffering for others. His practice was aimed at cultivating compassion. Realizing compassion, eliminating clinging to ego/self, and other practices are the antidote to hatred.

while the buddha is enlightened, that doesn't mean he/she is free from hatred. the buddha is a human being just like we are. that being said the buddha also has potential to have hatred as much as compassion.

the buddha just doesn't attach to his/her hatred or even his/her compassion. thus a buddha can be anger, sad, happy, depressed, senile, bat shit crazy, holy, indifferent, insane, blissful. the buddha can express his/her inner emptiness through various of different forms.

I don't believe this. I think enlightened beings have eliminated the root causes of negativity. But I think this is a great subject for a separate thread.

taiyaki

Reality as it is, is as it is. What do you define as compassion? Is compassion an act? Is it not an act? Is it you just abiding in your being? Is it merely a feeling? Is it conditional or unconditional?

We must define what compassion is.
I view compassion as an expression arising out of the infinite potential that we embody aka buddha nature. Whatever arises from our inner being is compassionate, even if it doesn't "appear" to be compassionate. For instance a buddha might smack you on the head and tell you to SHUT UP. Lol at the time you would be like WTF MAN! but later on you might understand the function and purpose of such action. We really only understand in hindsight or we don't. Up to you.

When you are selling a product, it's helpful to sell the positive qualities. And for the most part, our natural state is slightly positive. Thus you see compassion, patience, peace, etc as the main qualities of the buddha. Most buddhas are completely accepting of all the various expressions of the infinite. There is no hierarchy to them, but some are just more skillful and potentially will lead to better outcomes. Not to say that the buddha looks for outcomes, but hey we all want to be happy in the end.

federica

The Buddha said, “Hatred is never appeased by hatred, hatred is appeased by love. This is the eternal law."

I'm sorry, I've seen some dumb thread topics, but this has to class as one of the dumber ones.

Just saying...... :rolleyes: :hrm:

NamelessRiver

"Because he was devoted to ending suffering for others. His practice was aimed at cultivating compassion."

So are you saying his compassion was a choice and not something that comes naturally from seeing reality as it is? Like Buddhism has actually two different goals: liberation AND compassion?

NamelessRiver

"The Buddha said, “Hatred is never appeased by hatred, hatred is appeased by love. This is the eternal law.""

I am not questioning whether hatred can appease hatred. I am questioning why does compassion arise from direct perception of reality instead of other feelings.

taiyaki

If one becomes liberated, all is liberated. Reality is nothing but a projection from ourselves. If we see the Buddha outside of ourselves, we are only seeing the buddha within ourselves. If we become enlightened, we only see enlightened beings.
Even if the enlightened being don't "recognize" their enlightened state, the awakened one will see only enlightened beings.

liberation is the most compassionate act you can do for everyone else.

taiyaki

"The Buddha said, “Hatred is never appeased by hatred, hatred is appeased by love. This is the eternal law.""

I am not questioning whether hatred can appease hatred. I am questioning why does compassion arise from direct perception of reality instead of other feelings.

when in the correct circumstance, correct function will arise. that function is "compassion".
when in another circumstance, different functions will arise. that function is "compassion".
there is only compassion for the buddha. all acts are seen as compassionate, even when we don't see them as such.


but on that note, the buddha also has potential for other things to arise as well. the buddha is the sky. in the sky arises thunderstorms and clouds. sometimes it is clear, sometimes it is not. the buddha is the sky and he/she is all of that which occurs in the sky. EMPTINESS AND FORM. POTENTIAL AND EXPRESSION.

compassionate_warrior

"Because he was devoted to ending suffering for others. His practice was aimed at cultivating compassion."

So are you saying his compassion was a choice and not something that comes naturally from seeing reality as it is? Like Buddhism has actually two different goals: liberation AND compassion?

In the Buddha, it arose naturally. In ordinary people, it often needs to be cultivated, so he developed a method to aid people in doing that. Even people who are naturally compassionate (speaking of ordinary beings) can benefit from teachings and meditations to expand their compassion. (2nd sentence you quoted should read: his teachings were aimed at helping others develop compassion.)

Jeffrey

hatreds foundation is to destroy something that is undesirable. Hatred becomes the wisdom to see around obstacles. A buddha destroys only what must be destroyed and is not caught in wrong views.

taiyaki

in a way our natural state is goodness. we see the suffering of others and we have a deep sadness. it isn't our sadness but it is just sadness for the people who are suffering. so from that sadness arises compassion.

that is just another way of looking at it.

to have hatred is to want others to suffer. you could say on the path that is a problem to realizing ones true nature, which is always in line with goodness/compassion. anger, hatred and delusion is what keeps us from realizing what is.

Floating_Abu

Why would he necessarily have compassion either? Why wouldn't he be indifferent?

I believe - a Buddha does not 'have' compassion but a Buddha's natural state and energy is that of compassion.

aMatt

I am not questioning whether hatred can appease hatred. I am questioning why does compassion arise from direct perception of reality instead of other feelings.

Perhaps its a biological predisposition... healthy children and communities secure our genetic survival. Therefore we have empathic qualities in our biology, that we label as compassion.

Self could be described as naturally dissonant with the greatest good, because it brings a self-centric focus instead of clan-centric focus.

Hatred can be seen in this same light... hatred leads to social isolation, which increases the potential for genetic death.

compassionate_warrior

River, if the Buddha had practiced universal hatred, few would have followed him, and a popular religion likely wouldn't have developed around his teachings. At least, let's hope it wouldn't have. Humans aren't that crazy, are they?

person

Hatred is founded upon self and other. When there is no self there isn't "your" suffering to be relieved, there is only suffering.

Liberation is freedom from suffering, so to want to be free from suffering implicitly contains compassion.