Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Compassion


It occurred to me that all this chit chat on non-duality and subjugation of the ego might lead the casual reader to wonder whether Buddhists are moral relativists. After all, if everything is essentially the same and the distinction between good and evil can be reconciled as dualistic thought then isn’t everything morally ambiguous?

In Buddhist thought, lying behind the foundation of the moral precepts (yes, even the Buddhists have a 10 commandments of sorts) are the principles of equality and reciprocity. What are they?

Equality in this context means that all living beings are equal in their essential attitudes. All living beings want to be happy. They fear pain, death and suffering. All want to live and to enjoy happiness and security. Naturally this includes ourselves. If we are equal in this respect with all other sentient beings then how could we treat them differently than ourselves? Sounds familiar, no? On the basis of this equality of all sentient beings, we are encouraged to act with the awareness of reciprocity Reciprocity means that just as we would not like to be killed, robbed, abused and so forth, so would all other living beings not like to have these things happen to them. Given these principles of equality and reciprocity, it is not hard to see how they create a foundation for the rules of good conduct.

It is therefore an easy step to understanding the concept of compassion. Compassion, as the term is understood in Buddhist thought, is an unselfish, detached emotion which gives one a sense of urgency in wanting to help others. From a Buddhist perspective, helping others to reduce their physical or mental suffering is very good. But remember, it is of the utmost importance to have equal understanding and sympathy for both your enemies and your dearest loved ones. Selective compassion is dualistic and ego-centered and leads to bad Karma and all of that stuff. Another day we can talk about the problems inherent in all living beings desiring to be happy and the problems caused by that desire. Ok, enough for now.

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