The Dalai Lama on Compassion

My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. These
things are very useful in our daily life, and also for the whole of
human society these practices can be very important.

Basically, universal responsibility is the feeling for other people's
suffering just as we feel our own. It is the realization that even our
own enemy is motivated by the quest for happiness. We must recognize
that all beings want the same thing we want. This is the way to achieve
a true understanding, unfettered by artificial consideration.

At the heart of Buddhist philosophy is the notion of compassion for
others. It should be noted that the compassion encouraged by Mahayana
Buddhism is not the usual love one has for friends or family. The love
being advocated here is the kind one can have even for another who has
done one harm. Developing a kind heart does not always involve any of
the sentimental religiosity normally associated with it. It is not just
for people who believe in religions; it is for everyone who considers
himself or herself to be a member of the human family, and thus sees
things in accordingly large terms.

The rationale for universal compassion is based on the same principle of
spiritual democracy. It is the recognition of the fact that every living
being has an equal right to and desire for happiness. The true
acceptance of the principle of democracy requires that we think and act
in terms of the common good. Compassion and universal responsibility
require a commitment to personal sacrifice and the neglect of
egotistical desires.

I believe our every-day experience confirms that a self-centred attitude
towards problems can be destructive not only towards society, but to the
individual as well. Selfishness does not solve problems for us, it
multiplies them. Accepting responsibility and maintaining respect for
other will leave all concerned at peace. This is the essence of Mahayana
Buddhism.

from: http://www.earthlight.co.nz/hhdl/hhdlspeech.html#compassion

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