Comments on: Questions and Answers on Compassion with the Dalai Lama http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/ Simple Productivity Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:14:22 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Wise and inspiring Zen instructions on life from the Dalai Lama | EnlightenYourDay.com http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-67289 Wise and inspiring Zen instructions on life from the Dalai Lama | EnlightenYourDay.com Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:13:49 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-67289 [...] teacher.  I have listed below his inspiring instructions on living a life filled with loving Zen in the new [...] [...] teacher.  I have listed below his inspiring instructions on living a life filled with loving Zen in the new [...]

]]> By: Dolma http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-61040 Dolma Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:08:04 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-61040 I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness to share His Holiness the Dalai lama's wisdom on compassion. I must say that he spoke in his mother tongue as I was there and being a Tibetan woman I know that he spoke in Tibetan. Thanks Dolma I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness to share His Holiness the Dalai lama’s wisdom on compassion.
I must say that he spoke in his mother tongue as I was there and being a Tibetan woman I know that he spoke in Tibetan.

Thanks

Dolma

]]> By: My Top Tips for Muscle gain without fat! : No Diet Living http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-42886 My Top Tips for Muscle gain without fat! : No Diet Living Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:06:37 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-42886 [...] Life. Have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, Socialize with good people and practice being zen and calm. If you are not relaxed your body will not be keen to build muscle. Also do not worry [...] [...] Life. Have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, Socialize with good people and practice being zen and calm. If you are not relaxed your body will not be keen to build muscle. Also do not worry [...]

]]> By: Kwan http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-38371 Kwan Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:45:00 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-38371 And around and around we go And around and around we go

]]> By: L J http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36749 L J Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:59:07 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36749 Compassion causes long discussions because no one is sure of what exactly he or she is talking about. I can explain the problem with concept of compassion in a consistent way. First, compassion is not a concept, but a special feeling and a desire for others to be happy. There is nothing new here, every Buddhist repeats the same words all the time: compassion is wanting of enlightenment for all living beings. Being not concept but a feeling, compassion answers every question that may arise. Let's see how well it does so: @Vered: "Where do we draw the line? When do we NOT understand and forgive a person who has hurt others?" There are no lines. Because compassion is your inner feeling. Whenever you get offended by a friend, you lose compassion. That's it. You can't (no one can, in fact, even Dalai Lama) feel compassion towards one person and feel offended by another one at the same time. "If a friend betrays me, I can try to understand and forgive. But what about a person who hurt or killed a child? Or a war criminal who tortured and murdered thousands?" As long as you feel negative towards a child killer, or a war criminal, you can't feel compassionate. Your inner world is disturbed by feelings of injustice and hate. That's why HHDL says "pay attention to your inner world". "So, we can bring them to justice and punish them, yet show compassion?" Showing compassion and feeling compassion are different things. Feeling is what matters. And there is no way of showing compassion without feeling it, otherwise compassion becomes a mental concept, a set of rules - and that is not compassion at all. "You know… the easiest thing for me would be to throw into this discussion the example oh Adolph Hitler as an example of pure evil, someone that I don’t think anyone would argue deserves understanding and compassion." "... what I’m trying to say is, that there is PURE EVIL in the world, and regardless of what caused it (tough childhood, illness etc.), to me, the evil needs to be promptly REMOVED from society and does not deserve compassion." Being a personal feeling, compassion towards someone can't be deserved or not. It's up to you what you feel - either compassion or anger towards everything evil. But there are no other options. Anger breeds hate and misery, and those are certainly not what I want for myself. Not wanting it for others is compassion. Hitler is a perfect example. Wanting for him to not have been such a sick brutal ego-maniac is compassion. @Ryan McLean "How can paying more attention to your inner world be an act of compassion?" One can't become compassionate if he's unaware of his anger and misery. Compassion towards self is wanting to be happy - a goal that is unattainable without understanding of what makes you happy and what - cruel and miserable. "I thought compassion was about helping others and reaching out to others." Well, you were wrong :) Helping others and reaching out for them are exatly that - helping and reaching out. Compassion is wanting for everyone to be happy, indiscriminately. "But my question really is this…can you give yourself compassion?" If you can't - you can't give compassion at all. There is no way of wanting others to be happy, not being happy oneself. @Harald "I looked up the definition of “compassion”, as I was not sure what it means. It says “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others” and from Latin compassio(n-), from compati ‘suffer with.’" Compassion (snying rje chen po) in tibetan language has quite different meaning: "the wish to remove all suffering from the lives of everyone, and do something very active to get to a state where someone could actually do this" http://jigtenmig.blogspot.com/2006/09/four-immeasurables-compassion-part-1.html Compassion causes long discussions because no one is sure of what exactly he or she is talking about. I can explain the problem with concept of compassion in a consistent way.
First, compassion is not a concept, but a special feeling and a desire for others to be happy. There is nothing new here, every Buddhist repeats the same words all the time: compassion is wanting of enlightenment for all living beings.
Being not concept but a feeling, compassion answers every question that may arise. Let’s see how well it does so:

@Vered:
“Where do we draw the line? When do we NOT understand and forgive a person who has hurt others?”

There are no lines. Because compassion is your inner feeling. Whenever you get offended by a friend, you lose compassion. That’s it. You can’t (no one can, in fact, even Dalai Lama) feel compassion towards one person and feel offended by another one at the same time.

“If a friend betrays me, I can try to understand and forgive. But what about a person who hurt or killed a child? Or a war criminal who tortured and murdered thousands?”

As long as you feel negative towards a child killer, or a war criminal, you can’t feel compassionate. Your inner world is disturbed by feelings of injustice and hate. That’s why HHDL says “pay attention to your inner world”.

“So, we can bring them to justice and punish them, yet show compassion?”

Showing compassion and feeling compassion are different things. Feeling is what matters. And there is no way of showing compassion without feeling it, otherwise compassion becomes a mental concept, a set of rules – and that is not compassion at all.

“You know… the easiest thing for me would be to throw into this discussion the example oh Adolph Hitler as an example of pure evil, someone that I don’t think anyone would argue deserves understanding and compassion.”
“… what I’m trying to say is, that there is PURE EVIL in the world, and regardless of what caused it (tough childhood, illness etc.), to me, the evil needs to be promptly REMOVED from society and does not deserve compassion.”

Being a personal feeling, compassion towards someone can’t be deserved or not. It’s up to you what you feel – either compassion or anger towards everything evil. But there are no other options. Anger breeds hate and misery, and those are certainly not what I want for myself. Not wanting it for others is compassion. Hitler is a perfect example. Wanting for him to not have been such a sick brutal ego-maniac is compassion.

@Ryan McLean
“How can paying more attention to your inner world be an act of compassion?”

One can’t become compassionate if he’s unaware of his anger and misery. Compassion towards self is wanting to be happy – a goal that is unattainable without understanding of what makes you happy and what – cruel and miserable.

“I thought compassion was about helping others and reaching out to others.”

Well, you were wrong :) Helping others and reaching out for them are exatly that – helping and reaching out. Compassion is wanting for everyone to be happy, indiscriminately.

“But my question really is this…can you give yourself compassion?”

If you can’t – you can’t give compassion at all. There is no way of wanting others to be happy, not being happy oneself.

@Harald
“I looked up the definition of “compassion”, as I was not sure what it means. It says “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others” and from Latin compassio(n-), from compati ‘suffer with.’”

Compassion (snying rje chen po) in tibetan language has quite different meaning: “the wish to remove all suffering from the lives of everyone, and do something very active to get to a state where someone could actually do this”
http://jigtenmig.blogspot.com/2006/09/four-immeasurables-compassion-part-1.html

]]> By: Who Wins in a Fight with God (Zen, Buddha, Jane)? | SPIRITED http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36714 Who Wins in a Fight with God (Zen, Buddha, Jane)? | SPIRITED Fri, 30 May 2008 22:51:28 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36714 [...] Our initial training as children goes deep. I didn’t even realize I had these ideas until they were removed. And I believe they were removed. I got to own and then release a bunch of deeply held yet limiting thoughts about him. Now, I’m not so concerned about his gender or name or how I should think and behave towards him. I think after listening to all that commotion I put out, he’s got to be pretty compassionate. [...] [...] Our initial training as children goes deep. I didn’t even realize I had these ideas until they were removed. And I believe they were removed. I got to own and then release a bunch of deeply held yet limiting thoughts about him. Now, I’m not so concerned about his gender or name or how I should think and behave towards him. I think after listening to all that commotion I put out, he’s got to be pretty compassionate. [...]

]]> By: Connection — Words from the Dalai Lama’s Mouth | YogaBodyNews http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36619 Connection — Words from the Dalai Lama’s Mouth | YogaBodyNews Wed, 28 May 2008 21:54:54 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36619 [...] can read the notes from an attendee as well as a transcribed Q&A here. [...] [...] can read the notes from an attendee as well as a transcribed Q&A here. [...]

]]> By: Jeannie B. http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36528 Jeannie B. Tue, 27 May 2008 19:24:19 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36528 many buddas; one Christ. many buddas; one Christ.

]]> By: CK Gan http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36508 CK Gan Tue, 27 May 2008 01:02:35 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36508 Vered, you wrote: “If someone killed a child, he deserves compassion because he simply ruined his life”. But Anna, I don’t care about HIS life, I care about that poor little child, and the child’s parents, and her siblings, and her grandparents. That person ruined so many more lives than his own, and I just can’t see how his life can be considered valuable." I would like to post a self-answered question here: When the society sicks, crime is happening, why crime is happening? In you particular case, HE kill child maybe he did not have a good family to raise him up and he did not know a right thing to do. By looking at this point, yes, we should bring him to justice but at the same time he is pity because he is lack of love that brought his life to this end. We bring him to justice to stop him from doing further mistake and at the same time he deserve a chance to start his new life. Well, he won't changed or might take long time for him to change but I am sure if without compassionate and love, the chance to change him is zero. Good to hear we care for the poor one. With that, we save a lot of little lifes from suffer and bring them to the right path. Who knows, the person who is killing maybe is one of those from poor or lonely that never get attention and love from the people surrounding. I am not trying to sell Buddhism here but Buddhism also stress one important life element -- love. Without love, people tend to hate others, hurt others and creating sick society. With compassionate, we bring love to people and hoping they will change in one day. Everyone borned innocent, when we love them, when they feel the love, Will they love the others? Will they still hurt the others? I have a brother in the Buddhist center who is taking his own initiative to adopt those single mother's child. Him and his wife spend his own money and time to catch the children from school and take care and teach the children after school. He know single mother hardly have time to educate and take care of their child and if no one paying attention, educate and love them during the time their mother is away for work, these children will be easily influent by negative factors and became the future problem of the society. I hope by sharing this, it clears many doubts. I am not an expert which I am still learning. If anything not accurate, please forgive me. Vered, you wrote: “If someone killed a child, he deserves compassion because he simply ruined his life”. But Anna, I don’t care about HIS life, I care about that poor little child, and the child’s parents, and her siblings, and her grandparents. That person ruined so many more lives than his own, and I just can’t see how his life can be considered valuable.”

I would like to post a self-answered question here:
When the society sicks, crime is happening, why crime is happening?

In you particular case, HE kill child maybe he did not have a good family to raise him up and he did not know a right thing to do. By looking at this point, yes, we should bring him to justice but at the same time he is pity because he is lack of love that brought his life to this end. We bring him to justice to stop him from doing further mistake and at the same time he deserve a chance to start his new life. Well, he won’t changed or might take long time for him to change but I am sure if without compassionate and love, the chance to change him is zero.

Good to hear we care for the poor one. With that, we save a lot of little lifes from suffer and bring them to the right path. Who knows, the person who is killing maybe is one of those from poor or lonely that never get attention and love from the people surrounding.

I am not trying to sell Buddhism here but Buddhism also stress one important life element — love. Without love, people tend to hate others, hurt others and creating sick society. With compassionate, we bring love to people and hoping they will change in one day. Everyone borned innocent, when we love them, when they feel the love, Will they love the others? Will they still hurt the others?

I have a brother in the Buddhist center who is taking his own initiative to adopt those single mother’s child. Him and his wife spend his own money and time to catch the children from school and take care and teach the children after school. He know single mother hardly have time to educate and take care of their child and if no one paying attention, educate and love them during the time their mother is away for work, these children will be easily influent by negative factors and became the future problem of the society.

I hope by sharing this, it clears many doubts. I am not an expert which I am still learning. If anything not accurate, please forgive me.

]]> By: Sandals http://zenhabits.net/2008/05/questions-and-answers-on-compassion-with-the-dalai-lama/#comment-36477 Sandals Sun, 25 May 2008 23:41:43 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/?p=695#comment-36477 Thanks for the awesome post and the great discussion -- like others have said above, a lot of the questions and observations have given me a great deal of insight into my own conflicts as a student of Buddhism. @Jeannie: Your story is amazing and deeply inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing that. @Harald: Awesome example, very well-put. Thanks for that. @Sandy Chen: I don't know how reliable your sources are, but I'm pretty sure the bit about His Holiness having a lover are completely, 100% untrue. Monastic precepts are very, very clear about celibacy, and if HH did have a lover, it would be an unbelievable scandal that would shake the Buddhist and Tibetan communities to pieces. If there was any inkling of truth in that rumor, the Chinese government would definitely have picked it up and immediately broadcast it to discredit HH. Not only that, but HH didn't hesitate to take Michael Roach (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/garden/15buddhists.html?ex=1368676800&en=07daa403913a315b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink) to task for what HH considered an inappropriate sensual relationship with a partner. As far as HH speaking Chinese, I saw him speak when he came to Ithaca College this year, and he switched off between English and Tibetan, which is his native language. He speaks several languages, but I can't imagine why he'd give his greeting in Chinese. Thanks again for the awesome post : ) Thanks for the awesome post and the great discussion — like others have said above, a lot of the questions and observations have given me a great deal of insight into my own conflicts as a student of Buddhism.

@Jeannie: Your story is amazing and deeply inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing that.

@Harald: Awesome example, very well-put. Thanks for that.

@Sandy Chen: I don’t know how reliable your sources are, but I’m pretty sure the bit about His Holiness having a lover are completely, 100% untrue. Monastic precepts are very, very clear about celibacy, and if HH did have a lover, it would be an unbelievable scandal that would shake the Buddhist and Tibetan communities to pieces. If there was any inkling of truth in that rumor, the Chinese government would definitely have picked it up and immediately broadcast it to discredit HH. Not only that, but HH didn’t hesitate to take Michael Roach (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/garden/15buddhists.html?ex=1368676800&en=07daa403913a315b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink) to task for what HH considered an inappropriate sensual relationship with a partner.

As far as HH speaking Chinese, I saw him speak when he came to Ithaca College this year, and he switched off between English and Tibetan, which is his native language. He speaks several languages, but I can’t imagine why he’d give his greeting in Chinese.

Thanks again for the awesome post : )

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