catch to this equation: if you want to have happiness, there is still an “I” that clings to the wish to be
happy. Anything that threatens this “I” that wants to be happy will be perceived as hostile, and this
often creates more anxiety and agony. Developing compassion goes further than just creating
happiness: it uproots our deluded clinging to the “Self”, the main cause of suffering.
In the Buddhist tradition, compassion tends to be much more focused on the causes and
conditions of suffering rather than the actual suffering that is occurring. This is because the
suffering that is already taking place is considered a resultant state. In some sense it is already a
consequence of many conditions that have preceded it. When you look at the causes and
conditions preceding the suffering, the realization arises that this person, or being, can be helped
because by changing the causes and conditions one can alter and prevent the current of the
resultant suffering
The Four Immeasurables
When we look at the notion of compassion, it is important to understand that compassion is not just
one isolated skill or trait, independent of others. In the Buddhist context, compassion is considered
one of four
Brahmaviharas
, or
Four Immeasurables: together with compassion, the other three are loving-kindness, joy and
equanimity. They are called immeasurables because they are virtuous qualities of the mind that
can be developed limitlessly.
The four
Brahmaviharas
, with their respective Sanskrit terms, are defined as follows:
•
Loving-kindness
(Skt.
maitri
) is the deep-felt thought, “May all beings have happiness and
the causes of happiness.”
•
Compassion
(Skt.
karuna
) is the felt thought, “May all beings be free of suffering and the
causes of suffering.”
•
Joy
(Skt.
mudita
) is the wish, “May all beings have joy and flourish, and continuously increase
their well-being.”
•
Equanimity
, or impartiality, (Skt.
upeksa
), is the understanding that each and every single
being wants happiness, and is therefore the wish, “May all beings everywhere experience well-
being and flourish.”
The definitions of loving-kindness, compassion and joy each have two parts. The first part of the
definition addresses the motivational aspect, the aspiration that you wish for something to be a
certain way. It is important to realize that in this understanding and definition of compassion you
are not excluding yourself. Compassion is not about excluding, or sacrificing, yourself at the cost
of others’ well-being. This is why it speaks of all beings, including yourself: “May I also be free of
suffering and its causes.” However, by the same token, one should not understand it as: “May I be
free of suffering at the expense of others”. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to think
that others too want to be free of suffering, be that the person in front of you or any being with
whom we share a moment in life.
The second part of the definition speaks about the causes. Adding the causes becomes the
concrete action: it is thestep that manifests the aspiration, when you engage in realizing the wish.
It’s not just the wish that will make a difference, but primarily changing the causes will contribute to
the well-being of oneself and others. When somebody is sick, a doctor is not just wishing for that
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