usage employed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to connote respect to all religious traditions
We believe CBCT speaks to universal themes inherent in all major religious and humanistic
traditions while remaining faithful to the empirical and experiential spirit of Tibetan Buddhism.
The protocol as outlined here has been revised to incorporate feedback from participants and
lessons we have learned from teaching it over the past seven years. It now forms the basis for our
ongoing research, as well as for several clinical interventions that are being implemented by our
team among various populations in Atlanta. A full manual of CBCT is available for instructors,
which elaborates on each of the eight main topics of CBCT and provides examples of teaching
exercises and guided meditations.
In the remainder of this chapter, we will address the question of what compassion is and why we
need it; whether compassion can be trained; and what “cognitively-based” or “analytical” meditation
means. We will then look at the key ingredients in the cultivation of compassion that form the
backbone of CBCT: cultivating endearment and impartiality, self-compassion (see
in
this volume), and insight and mindfulness (see
in this volume). The last section lists
sequentially the eight topics of a CBCT course, which are an elaboration of these key ingredients,
in the order in which they would be taught.
What is Compassion and Why Do We Need It?
At its most fundamental level, compassion is the wish to alleviate the suffering of another.
Compassion is a basic human value, necessary for our survival as individuals and as communities.
It is recognized by all major spiritual traditions, and is indeed elevated as a highest ideal by them.
Modern science is also increasingly recognizing the importance of compassion for our health and
the flourishing of our species. Charles Darwin, who is more frequently (not necessarily correctly)
associated with ideas like “survival of the fittest”, in reality described sympathy as the strongest of
human instincts, essential for our survival, and the foundation of our ethical systems. More
recently, psychologist and primatologist Frans de Waal has made the case that the roots of
compassion lie far back in our evolutionary history, at least as far back as the last common
ancestor of birds and mammals, and has chronicled numerous acts of kindness and moral
behavior among non-human primates
If we understand love as the wish for another to have happiness, then we see that compassion and
love are two sides of the same coin. When we feel close to others, we want them to have
happiness and to be free from suffering: that is love and compassion.
Can Compassion be Trained?
The innate biologically-based compassion that we share with other mammals is the basis for the
cultivation of compassion, but without such cultivation it remains limited and only extends to those
close to us. As human beings, however, we can extend compassion to embrace larger groups.
This second level of compassion is compassion as a deliberately trainable skill. Such compassion
will only arise if there is a sense of endearment towards others. If that sense of endearment can be
cultivated towards larger sections of humanity, so can compassion.
The actual conditions of our existence are such that we exist interdependently with others (see
in this volume). Everything we need for our survival comes from the efforts of countless
others, almost all of whom are personally unknown to us. Recognizing this often-neglected fact
enables us to feel endearment and gratitude towards others. Such a recognition needs to be
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