The Meaning of Compassion in True Buddhism

BY REVEREND JO’GU NATSUI

ASSISTANT PRIEST OF MYOSETUJI TEMPLE
INTRO MEETING AT MYOSETSUJI
11/17/2017

Today, I’d like to talk about Buddhist compassion.

A General Idea of Compassion

The word “compassion” tends to be seen as the qualities of kindness, empathy, generosity, and
altruism. We have learned that compassion means to be concerned about the welfare of others and
taking actions for the sake of the greater good. We have also learned that our compassionate actions
should be carried out to make people’s happiness last longer and become more sustainable.
For example, let’s suppose there is someone who has lost his way in a desert. Giving him some
water might be enough to quench his thirst and help him survive the scorching desert for a day or
two, but also giving him directions to an oasis or leaving him with a map that shows how to escape
from the desert will be of greater value.

Compassion in Human Beings and Animals

Also, compassion is often considered to be uniquely human. For example, animals are said to
have no ability to show compassion, as they always act on their own instincts. But, is it true that
animals are not capable of expressing compassion? How does Buddhism approach this question?
There is a very important Buddhist doctrine called the Ten Worlds. For those who are not
familiar with The Ten Worlds, The Ten Worlds are ten kinds of different life conditions that we
possess; hell, hunger, animality, anger, humanity, rapture, learning, realization, Bodhisattva, and
Buddhahood. Buddhism teaches that we, human beings, are constantly expressing one of these life
conditions at every moment in our daily lives. These ten types of worlds are, likewise, contained in
the life of animals and will arise in response to their external surroundings.
  ​Let’s think about this. Some people are consumed by their human desires and misbehave to the
point where they commit wrongdoings, from merely rebelling against their own parents to
perpetrating serious crimes. Let’s also think about animals sparing no effort day and night to
protect, nurture, and keep an eye on their young, in order to ensure that they are always warm and
safe.
These two realities of life are a testament to the fact that animals could be more compassionate
than human beings, and it even gives us the opportunity to learn many things from those animals
about the nature of compassion.

Compassion in Society and Buddhism

The kind of compassion that I have talked about belongs to the secular aspect of our compassion.
So, now I’d like to move on to the meaning of compassion used within the context of Buddhist
teachings.
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 Buddhism teaches that we, as ordinary human beings, are able to express a trace of a
compassionate Bodhisattva life condition, but its most profound quality is only attainable through
the correct Buddhist practice. Compassion is a life state that arises from the innermost desire to save
others through the sharing of the beneficial power of the Buddhist practice. And just as important is
that true Buddhist compassion is something that never fluctuates or weakens, no matter what
happens.

​・慈悲 (Jap: ​Ji hi​, Eng: compassion)

Let me give you an example. In Japanese, compassion is called “​ji hi.​”

​Ji basically means a sense of love or kindness with an intention to nurture someone. What this
means is that, although pouring love and kindness into our children is a great way to show how
much we care about them, but parenting them with occasional strictness for the sake of their growth
may also be an important way to instill a sense of love and compassion. In this sense, the word ​ji
represents the quality of a father (Jap: ​jifu​, 慈父).
The literal meaning of the next character, ​hi (​as in ji hi)​, is to cry or to be sad, but with this
meaning, this word ​hi also comes to mean empathy. This word “empathy” in this case not only
means to feel and share the feelings of others but also has the connotation of taking voluntary action
to reach out to them. And this is the quality of a mother (Jap: ​himo​ or ​hibo​, 悲母).

​・抜苦与楽 (Jap: Bakku Yoraku)

Also, there is a related Buddhist term called 抜苦与楽（​bakku yoraku​）.

First, 与楽 (​yoraku​) means to give joy. Giving joy doesn’t just mean to entertain someone with a
pleasurable experience, but it means to teach them how to make their lives more fulfilling and
meaningful, so that they can derive joy in their lives. This resembles the way a father gives his
instruction and leads them to full development of their growth. In this sense, giving joy, or与楽
(​yoraku​), is the quality of a father.
Next, 抜苦 (​bakku​) means to remove suffering. This is the quality of a mother. A mother will
deeply care about her sick child, and this caring thought will remain the same at the heart of the
mother until his complete recovery. In other words, 抜苦 (​bakku​) is the characteristic of a mother,
who strives to put others at ease, ameliorate their suffering, and finally completely root out the
fundamental cause of their misfortune.

All things considered, a general sense of kindness, generosity, love, empathy, altruism, and
compassion, will arise at any moment in our daily situations, but true compassion as taught in
Buddhism becomes evident when our common mortal life condition reaches the states of
Bodhisattva and Buddhahood through the correct Buddhist practice. The true Buddha, Nichiren
Daishonin, states:

Buddhism is like the body and society like the shadow.

When the body is twisted, so is the shadow.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(​Gosho,​ p. 1469)

There are two things I’d like to mention about this passage.
First is the relationship between Buddhism and society. Buddhism and society may seem to be
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two separate entities, but are in fact one single entity, just like the body creates the shadow and the
shadow always follows the body. It means our Buddhist practice always affects our lives in society;
the more we strive to correctly perform our Buddhist practice, the better and clearer the result is
going to become in our daily lives as the actual proof of our Buddhist practice.
And second, although Buddhism and society are one, Buddhism is the foundation of society, as
Buddhism offers the remedy for the problems in our society, not the other way around. It is very
easy to confuse this relationship between Buddhism and society, placing the higher value on
society, only to miscalculate that Buddhism is a mere philosophy, logic, or a product of the moral
principles created by that society. Thus, the Buddha teaches first and foremost that society revolves
around Buddhism, equating Buddhism with the body and society with its shadow. Buddhism
teaches that, if society falls into decline, it is because Buddhism has fallen into decline; if Buddhism
prospers, so does society.

This is also reflected in the following passage from the Gosho “The True Object of Worship:”

When skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. In the same way, those who
know the Lotus Sutra understand the meaning of all worldly matters.
(​Gosho,​ p. 662)

As you can see, this passage says that understanding the significance of the Lotus Sutra leads us
to understand all worldly matters in our everyday lives. In this case, understanding the Lotus Sutra
does not just simply mean that we should study to attain better knowledge about the sutra, but it
also means that we should learn from the priests how to correctly incorporate it into our everyday
lives as the living principle that guides us to understand the meaning of all worldly matters.

The same can also be said about compassion.

As a matter of fact, compassionate actions in our daily situations, such as showing a sense of
kindness and forgiveness, which many people find to be the epitome of true compassion, will not
have the power that perpetually benefits those who receive them.
True compassion taught in the Daishonin’s Buddhism, however, guides us to become more
profoundly compassionate and allows us to be able to share the medicine of the supreme law of
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which does perpetually benefit those who receive and practice it. And
this truly makes our lives and the lives of others full of compassion and appreciation.

I’d like to conclude my lecture for today with my deepest wish and prayers for your continued
good health and for the advancement of your sincere practice to the Gohonzon.

Thank you for your kind attention and for listening to my lecture today.

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