Compassion for others = suffering and attachment for us?

Comments

• Citta Veteran

  July 2013

  Its good to ask. Its also good to question the answers
  My understanding is that 'self' and 'others' are in fact one continuum.
  That compassion goes in all directions. Suffering for us is maintained by the view that there are others..and vice versa. But in Buddhism a lot of emphasis is given to wisdom and compassion needing to go together. They are described as twin pillars in the house of Dharma.
  Wisdom without compassion would be cold and detached. Compassion without wisdom would lead to intensified suffering. So compassion is the result of seeing the fact of dukkha. Wisdom sees that all is arising in great bliss. And that there is no contradiction.

  

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• Silouan Veteran

  July 2013

  Desire is not necessarily negative. It depends on how one's desire is directed. The painful sharing in the suffering of others and even the shedding of tears for their concern are aspects of compassion, but if those things are done with a mind filled with self-interest or despair then I think that would be attachment to something else.

  

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• Jainarayan Veteran

  July 2013

  Citta said:

  
  Wisdom without compassion would be cold and detached. Compassion without wisdom would lead to intensified suffering.

  Ah ha! makes sense, especially the 2nd sentence. And remembering the Four Noble Truths, the basis of it all. :thumbsup:

  

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• Jainarayan Veteran

  July 2013

  Silouan said:

  ...but if those things are done with a mind filled with self-interest or despair then I think that would be attachment to something else.

  So then, it's a fine line to tread.
  
  

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• Jainarayan Veteran

  July 2013

  Thanks @citta and @silouan.

  

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• vinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran

  July 2013

  Jainarayan said:

  OK, I was (over)thinking again, and not unlikely it is off-base, but consider that most of these concepts are new to ...

  There's a lot of that going on among our posters in many different threads!. See how well you're fitting in!

  

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• genkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran

  July 2013

  Compassion as a kind of super-duper altruism is an error in my opinion. It may be the best anyone can do from a relative point of view, but that doesn't mean the best is necessarily true.
  
  As just one small example: How is it possible to be nice to 'others' in a land where 'self' and 'others' qualify as so-called delusions.
  
  Naturally it is nice to make nice and kindness is a wonderful quality, but isn't there a corner to turn on this matter? ... start actualizing what was once merely adored or praised? Those at peace are not nice because "it's nice" They're nice because nice/compassion goes hand-in-glove (so to speak) with clarity ... i.e. it's inescapable.
  
  Just noddling here.

  

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• footiam Veteran

  July 2013

  Jainarayan said:

  OK, I was (over)thinking again, and not unlikely it is off-base, but consider that most of these concepts are new to me (I know: "find a lama" ).
  
  Does compassion for others and the desire for their enlightenment and end of their suffering = suffering for us? For example, does Avalokiteshvara's desire for the liberation of all sentient beings, and delaying his liberation constitute attachment to the ideal, and cause suffering for him? I haven't yet read The Way of the Bodhisattva; I wonder if the answers are in there.
  
  Just call me Butter, 'cuz I'm on a roll this week. :rolleyes:

  Perhaps, it would be if we are not enlightened.

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• Jeffrey Veteran

  July 2013

  I think we have a tendancy to try to stuff out things that stress us and grasp things that are satisfying. Such as state of affairs can get cramped and stuffy. This is the basis of tonglen. You send out good feelings and you don't have any good feelings left for yourself. The good news is that the whole notion of shielding from outside is wrong in the first place so setting the energy dynamics of the personal mandala to be more open and generous can make tonglen actually help us rather than make us depressed. It's like repolarizing the heart I think.

  

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• karmablues Veteran

  July 2013 edited July 2013

  Equanimity should be developed alongside compassion.
  
  According to Lama Thubten Yeshe (a Tibetan monk):

  Compassion is the humane quality of understanding & being with the suffering of others. Equanimity is mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; it is a quality of calmness and equilibrium. These qualities strengthen our capacity to be responsive and open in the world.

  According to Joan Halifax, a Zen roshi:

  Equanimity is the capacity to be in touch with suffering and at the same time not be swept away by it. It is the strong back that supports the soft front of compassion. These interdepending qualities are the foundation for effective work with suffering. Equanimity allows us that radiant calm, peace, and trust that receive the world and at the same time make it possible for us to let go of the world.

  According to Shaila Catherine, a Theravadan Vipassana instructor:

  Equanimity describes a complete openness to experience, without being lost in reactions of love and hate. It's a powerful quality in its own right, and it fortifies other qualities [such as metta and compassion]...Equanimity has a balance that empowers loving-kindness (metta) with patience, so that we care, even in times when the people that we love do self-destructive things. Without equanimity we might demand that happiness occur in the ways that we think it should, rather than stay connected and loving with things as they are. Equanimity endows compassion with courage, so that we have the courage to face the pain in life and to face the cruelty in the world. When we care deeply, we try to help, but we can't always alleviate pain. Sometimes what we do doesn't actually help.... [Therefore] we need equanimity when we've done what we can, and there's nothing more we can do, and we have to experience the results. Equanimity describes a state of balance. Even when things don’t turn out the way we want them to, equanimity imbues the mind with a calm radiance.

  

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• seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran

  July 2013 edited July 2013

  Jainarayan said:

  Avalokiteshvara's desire for the liberation of all sentient beings, and delaying his liberation constitute attachment to the ideal, and cause suffering for him?

  I don't think so when you consider the beginning of the Heart Sutra.

  
  Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, When practicing deeply the Prajna-paramita perceives that all five skandhas are empty and is saved from all suffering and distress.

  
  
  

  

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• Jainarayan Veteran

  July 2013

  Thanks, I have a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary on the Heart Sutra, not the Heart Sutra itself. It's a very thin book that I think I should read next.

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