Ancient spiritual traditions and modern sciences agree that compassion is part of our inherent, fundamental nature. Joining traditional and contemporary perspectives, compassion can be defined as the jewel that arises in our heart when we are confronted with suffering and we feel the motivation to do something to alleviate it and to prevent future suffering —for ourselves and for others.
Both spiritual traditions and modern sciences also agree that our innate capacity for compassion can be cultivated and expanded greatly, by intentionally generating compassionate thoughts, feelings, and motivations through contemplative practices and conductual training —making space in our life for regular expressions of compassion. That’s how the precious seed that lives in our hearts grows and expands. Each small act of compassion transforms ourselves —and in turn, transforms the world.
Compassion in action affects not only those who receive it, but the practitioner as well. It’s well known and documented that when we do something for another being out of compassion, we reap benefits ourselves: compassion activates a physiology* in us that improves mental and emotional health, reduces stress and feelings of loneliness, and increases happiness. Using the words of our teacher Sharon Gannon: “The best way to uplift our own life is to do all we can to uplift the lives of others.” Similarly, the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh said: “Happiness is a function of compassion.”
The teaching of compassion lies at the very heart of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you”, the ethical ground of all major spiritual traditions. Tapping into our essential, compassionate nature frees us from the prison of self-absorption by connecting us to a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in life. Acting from this heart-centered awareness makes us less afraid and more resilient, by offering a sense of belonging and connection. This is not wishful thinking: compassion requires and cultivates courage, because although focused on suffering, it ultimately is an energized state rooted in the commitment to do something about it. Nothing is as effective as compassion in transforming something difficult —suffering— into something meaningful and connected.
The Buddhist tradition offers us the analogy of the lotus and the mud: the lotus roots are in the sticky mud but yet it grows upward to give rise to a pristine, radiant flower. The jewel (maṇi, indicating compassion) is in the lotus (padme, indicating wisdom): oṁ maṇi padme hu̅ṁ symbolically expresses the unity of compassion and wisdom on the path of liberation (hu̅ṁ suggests indivisibility). And just as the lotus cannot flourish without mud, compassion and wisdom cannot flourish without the fertilizing power of suffering.
In the last decades many disciplines —including evolutionary psychology, social sciences and neuroscience— have been investigating how compassion works, its mechanisms and benefits. The research is rigorous and acknowledges what yogis have known since days of old: compassion is like a jewel in our hearts, an elevated and luminous state we can access through practice and connection. Compassion is described as a 6-steps process: 1) perception of the suffering or need (mindfulness); 2) emotional connection with it (empathy); 3) instinctive wish for the suffering to be relieved (intention); 4) willingness to do something about it (motivation); 5) the actual compassionate action; 6) experiencing the elevated feeling (the “warm glow” of compassion).
For our offering of compassion to others to be genuine and sustainable, we need to nourish our inner resources first. The first target of our compassion should be oneself. We must begin by listening, embracing and being with our own suffering, without bypassing or neglecting it; instead, allowing ourselves to look into its causes and conditions with care, courage and wisdom. Only then will we be able to fruitfully support our happiness and that of other beings. The caring motivation, courage of heart and depth of wisdom to be there for others depends on our self-compassion. Just as we deeply aspire to happiness and freedom for suffering, so do all other beings. “Just like me” is a mantra that invites in us immeasurable compassion towards all.
We need each other’s support to walk this path. All crises being experienced in the world today are, in essence, crises of compassion. Mother Teresa used to say that the main problem with the world is that we draw our circle of concern too small. Let us wholeheartedly inspire each other to cultivate the jewel in our hearts. Let us strive together to expand the reach of our compassion. Our very existence as a community of earthlings and as a planet depends on it.
