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Wisdom and Compassion
followthepath
Explorer
The Buddha said that wisdom and compassion are the way to Enlightenment. He also said that the two qualities are dependent on each other. I understand how compassion is dependent on wisdom, but I don't understand how wisdom is dependent on compassion. I know for a fact that people are more likely to notice things if they are in a good mood rather than a bad mood. Is that why people say that wisdom is dependent on compassion? Because one needs to be in a good mood to understand the impermanent nature of entities?
Also, how does one practice wisdom? Or is wisdom something you either have or don't have?
Thanks everyone.
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Yes, Compassion (in union) with Wisdom is the way to Enlightenment.
All beings suffer.. both physical pain and psychological distress..
Coming to see that clearly is compassion
Wisdom is true tasting of selflessness
Ones meditation must be grounded in both compassion (the acknowledgement and heartfelt motive to relieve suffering) and wisdom (interdependence / interpenetration) in order to lead to Enlightenment.
Just as you would not wish to be in pain or anguish, all beings wish this.
And just as you would wish to be free and open and happy, all beings wish this.
So with these thoughts, one can remind oneself, and rest in a mind imbued with these qualities.
Really, these qualities of wisdom and compassion are essential to our makeup. Like an unblemished basis. So ones meditation practice is not trying to turn ones square mind into a round mind, but actually just uncovering these naturally pervasive qualities.
Although reading about wisdom and compassion is good, one must pair this with regular and frequent meditation,
Imagine that you can build a bridge between any two places just by willing it into being, but your sight of the two places needs to be clear.
If you wanted to instantiate a bridge between an island in the pacific and california, without seeing more than the island, or more than california, you wouldn't know which direction to establish your bridge.
Meditation is like letting the mind drop all the unessential concepts and collections we carry around,
so when building your bridges (which are actually already there and just need to be uncovered) a mind and body free of rigidity and permeated by awareness are essential.
There are lots of really good materials out there! in my "personal" experience, "intermediate stages of meditation" by the Dalai Lama really helped break down a lot of walls in my practice, and I would strongly recommend it to you based on your questions.
Will keep you in my virtuous thoughts, my friend!
The above @sova , great post!
Just to add one thing, as I'm becoming wiser(slowly!) I'm realising that everything is connected. Through this compassion develops. Through this compassion I'm developing resolve to delve deeper into understanding reality.
Both seem to arise together for me. I don't think these are chicken and the egg!
As @sova says, these are innate qualities requiring uncovering. To a degree we can emulate wise behaviour exemplified by Sangha and other sources of wisdom. We can practice aspects of wisdom: discipline, restraint, kindness etc. This natural movement towards wisdom away from ignorance and superficiality takes time and experience. I guess you already knew that . . .
:wave: .
Wisdom without compassion is just a mentality without empathy.
Compassion without wisdom is just a heart without equanimity.
Either one without the other is a hobbled horse.
Indeed. As we have indigenous Americans on this forum it is neither compassionate or wise to sing this stereotypical song:
♪♫•¨•.¸¸No wheels on my wagon . . . ❤¸¸.•¨•♫♪
. . . and after that bit of self indulgence . . . back to the wheel of the law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmacakra
The 'wisdom' that the Buddha was referring to is not just simply what we refer to as wisdom in everyday language..
We use the term to mean actions that result from a body of knowledge gained from experience, our own experience or collective experience.
But the term that is usually translated as 'wisdom' is panna/prajna..the first is Pali the second is Sanskrit.
Panna/prajna is not commonly learned by conventional experience.
It is a result of awareness. It arises by means of onepointedness of mind together with a mindset disposed to an absence of ill-will.
So in Buddhism, Wisdom and Compassion are Panna and Karuna.
Karuna is one of the Brahma Viharas... They arise together and are co- dependant.
Such Wisdom enables us to practise "Right" Compassion, not 'Idiot compassion'.
Wisdom is traditionally the antidote to delusion or ignorance.
Ignorance is not seeing things as they are. The notion of seeing myself and others as two separates entities is part of not seeing things as they are. We fail to see the interconnection of all beings, the causality of all phenomena.
That's why compassion and wisdom develop hand in hand. Compassion naturally emerges from a feeling of empathy, from the observation that all sentient beings feel like you, suffer like you, want to be happy like you.
Innate wisdom, our Buddha nature is something we already have. All of us.
But it takes some digging or uncovering, as the boys said above.
You can't practice wisdom. It's your practice that helps develop the insight that eventually leads to wisdom.
@Earthninja: I know you are new to the path and really liked the way you worded your personal experience.
That's a good question. I am surprised I don't have an answer. I think selfishness cannot possibly find the meaning of life. We all want to be happy. That's what wisdom is all about. It is about how to be happy. Buddha said he only taught one thing, the end of suffering. So if you are self centered you will never realize happiness. Just the way the world works. The 'eight worldly' winds will kick your ass if you are just in it for yourself.
@followtheopath mentioned the importance of a positive state of mind in reflecting on this stuff and that's very true! Offer whatever you have, offer beautiful landscapes, scenes, memories, offer uplifting and whole-ifying. Stuff that you enjoy and that is precious to you, like the view of the lake from your last camping trip, the feeling of the breeze when riding your bike.. a castle imagined of diamonds and rubies.. offer this all, pour some offering water into some bowls or glasses and take the time to offer it to sublime beings.
Then your reflections will almost magically be easily comprehended and comprehensive
(sources for the above include Lama Atisha's Lamp for the Path and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's Not for Happiness)
Bonus joke: what did the lazy hippie say when his friend told him to hop off the couch and get a job?
Nah, i'ma stay. (Namaste)
I've often experienced compassion without wisdom; it hurts in a soft 'n' squidgy kind of way.
I think I've also experienced wisdom without compassion; Mrs Tosh said I seemed distant (I think I went though a phase of regularly meditating on emptiness and not doing much else). Not much seemed to bother me though.
Haven't you ever felt that one was out of step with another?
I don't know much about the things you say but I think mood has nothing to do with this. In Buddhism, equanimity is advocated. I think that has neither good nor bad moods. Moods, good and bad distort what is real.