' () is generally translated as compassion or mercy and sometimes as self-compassion or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions 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 ...

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 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 time cycle bein ...

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 Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

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: '' mettā''), sympathetic joy ('' mudita'') 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 ...

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 L ...

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 descriptivel ...

rebirth, it will be in a heavenly realm. 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, 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 pity ...

: here too one wants to remove suffering, but for a partly selfish (attached) reason hence not the pure motivation. In the Pāli Canon, 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 languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

: '' 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, this elevation of to the status of prajña is one of the distinguishing factors between the Theravāda arahant 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; Japanese: Kannon; Tibetan: Chenrezig) is a bodhisattva who embodies . In the Intermediate section of the ''Stages of Meditation'' by Kamalaśīla, he writes: In Tibetan Buddhism, one of the foremost authoritative texts on the Bodhisattva path is the '' Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' 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'') 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 descriptively ...

.Shah (n.d.).
Regarding ''samvara'', see "Release from karmas". From a comparative religion perspective, cf. Buddhism's four brahmavihara; 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 List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, used for both genders.

Notes

Sources

* Bhikkhu Bodhi (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 c ...

(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. 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 & Nyanaponika Thera *
Don’t Push – Just Use the Weight of Your Own Body
' by Ajahn Amaro
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