Karuna (compassion) is the second of the four immeasurables, also known as the four brahmaviharas, and serves as an antidote to cruelty. Through compassion, we can work towards decentralizing our own selfish needs and have a deeper sense of connection to those around us. Compassion differs from pity in that it empowers rather than diminishes the other person, seeing their inherent strength and buddhanature. Self-compassion is essential as a foundation for genuine compassion toward others. Generating compassion is conditional upon our ability to practice cognitive and emotional empathy. Cognitive empathy allows us to understand another person’s perspective and mental state, while emotional empathy enables us to actually feel something of what they are experiencing. Together, these forms of empathy create the foundation from which genuine compassion can arise.

Cultivating compassion is a core practice for all Buddhists. Genuine compassion arises from truly understanding others and is a natural next step from loving-kindness. In the Buddhadharma, compassion means we wish ourselves and others to be free of the suffering and unease that is caused by negative states of mind, which all ultimately stem from grasping, clinging, and confusion. Therefore, wisdom and compassion are intertwined. In this sense, compassion is based on understanding. At the same time, we also wish for beings to be free of their temporary states of suffering, which come from discomfort, unease, sickness, and lack of resources.

Meditation on compassion can begin with ourselves as we acknowledge our own difficulties, aches, fears, and sources of discomfort. We can think of ourselves as children and our minds as compassionate mothers, who only wish for their children to be well. In this way, we begin to generate compassion for our own suffering. Step by step, we can extend this compassion first to those we care for, then to those with whom we feel neutral, and finally to those we believe have harmed us or have been unkind. Finally, we work towards being able to generate and rest in compassion without object, filling space. Through this process, we gradually widen our compassion to all beings, making it infinite, limitless, and immeasurable.

Compassion practice can be difficult because, through empathy, we experience the pain others feel. This is why it’s important to practice it within the context of the other immeasurables.

All sentient beings are just like us, wishing to be free from harm and the causes of suffering. We understand that while there are many external causes of suffering, ultimately, suffering and its causes arise from our own minds. As we make the wish for others to be free from suffering, we generate the mind of compassion.

Reflect on the idea of someone vulnerable or powerless, such as a small animal or a child, seeking safety from harm. Reflect on the sensations and emotions that arise when thinking about this.

• Have you ever decided to put someone else's interest in front of your own, even though it was difficult?
• What happened, and what did it feel like?
• What are the causes of suffering that the Buddha taught?
• What are common understandings of the causes of suffering?

Analyze the nature of karuna/compassion; guide unscripted meditation practices to generate this quality; and implement compassionate actions based on understanding beings’ desire for well-being and safety.