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Tricycle's Daily Dharma
Does Compassion Come Naturally?
Q: Don't we know naturally that it's in our self-interest to extend compassion to those beyond our local groups?
A: No, it doesn't. Because to worry about what some disenchanted Muslim teenager in Pakistan is feeling right now does not come naturally in the sense of visceral response. It does, however, make intellectual sense; the world is moving to a point where, if only out of self-interest, we need to think about that person. One virtue of some of the religious traditions is that they have well-worked-out procedures for assisting this intellectual process. In other words, it's one thing to realize logically that my fate is intertwined with the fate of Muslims around the world: If they're unhappy, they'll eventually make me unhappy. But it's another to feel it, to look at someone and get a deep sense of fraternity with them. That's where religious practice plays an important role. In Buddhism there is metta [loving-kindness] meditation, in which we cultivate compassion for all sentient beings. This sort of practice is what I would consider a product of cultural evoluti on.
–Robert Wright, from "Darwin and the Buddha: Tricycle Interviews Robert Wright," Tricycle, Spring 2003
Read the complete article on tricycle.com.
Hur många människor förmår man rent praktiskt omfatta med medkänsla? En, tio, tjugo? I varje fall inte sex miljarder. Kan man hysa medkänsla även för torterarna på Guantanamo, i Irans, Israels och Hamas fängelser, för att bara nämna några?
Några fladdriga tankar som uppstod vid läsningen av inlägget.
Det är givetvis en svår och komplex fråga det här. Jag tycker att bara ö.h.t. snudda vid ämnet är en bra början. Det här ÄR viktigare än konsumtion.
