Abstract
Buddhism is often considered as a path for purification vissudhimagga. During an era of empire building and extreme asceticism, it advocated a middle path based on moral perfection. Compassion in Buddhism enjoys an exalted position and its embodiment, Bodhisattva is highly venerated. This concept finds its applicability more in the contemporary era of materialistic race and political chaos, degrading social norms and decaying moral values. This paper is an attempt to analyze the possibility of compassion as a tool to restore peace and prosperity in the contemporary world. Keywords: Compassion, Buddhism, Violence, materialistic race, global peace, humanity, terrorism. DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/49-04 Publication date :June 30 th 2019
Highlights
Compassion is often defined as a sense of concern that arises when we are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to see that suffering relieved
In the Theravada Buddhism, we come across the term metta,(Pali) which literally means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness and amity according to various scholars of Buddhism.[1]
From the above discussion it becomes apparent that like other religions Buddhism has a strong concept of compassion
Summary
Compassion is often defined as a sense of concern that arises when we are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to see that suffering relieved. In the Theravada Buddhism, we come across the term metta,(Pali) which literally means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness and amity according to various scholars of Buddhism.[1] Mitta is half of the four Brahmaviharas in Buddhism These are loving-kindness or benevolence, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. They devote themselves to helping others reach enlightenment This elevation of karuna in Mahayana Buddhism is the basic line of distinction between the Theravada ideal of arhant and the Mahayanic ideal of Bodhisattva. The former ideal longs for the salvation of self while the later longs for the salvation of all. This attitude makes the compassion greater (maha karuna) in Mahayana Buddhism
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