Guest guest Posted February 14, 2003 Report Share Posted February 14, 2003 Q: "What is compassion?" My thoughts:Can one act compassionately? Does one force such an action? Or is such action merely after-the-fact? If an act is done 'out of compassion' what does it signify about the doer of the act? Is the doer of the act 'compassionate'? Or is the act itself 'compassionate'? If the act is 'compassionate', then why? What makes one act 'compassionate' versus another 'non-compassionate'? What is the fundamental difference between the 'compassionate' act and the 'non-compassionate' one? Before answering this question of "what is compassion", one has to inquire about the nature of 'action' -- or rather 'reaction' as the case would be. If an act is motivated by something, it is not pure action, it is a 'reaction' to some prior event. As such, an act that is based on 'past circumstances' or 'past states' cannot inherently be 'motiveless' -- its outcome is dependent on the previous action. If there is a motive, then there must be 'self-interest' involved in such action. An action in which there is 'self-interest' cannot be 'compassionate' -- because compassion implies that there is no gain, yet where there is 'self-interest' there is an inherent bias against 'loss'. So no action which is based on 'decision making' can be truly 'compassionate'. True compassion therefore must arise out of 'decision-less' or 'motive-less' action. In such a case, the only true compassionate action is that action that does not bias itself upon the outcome of another action. If an act has no motive it must be considered 'spontaneous' as there is no causal reason for its occurrence. But this further implies that only spotaneous action, having no motive or bias, can be true action; all other actions are in truth 'reactions' to something else, and cannot therefore be considered as 'compassionate'. Any thoughts / comments / alternative viewpoints? jai guru datta. ______________________________ The centipede was happy quite until a bird said, in fun, "Which foot goes after which?" This raised his mind to such a pitch he lay distracted in a ditch considering how to run. Send Flowers for Valentine's Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 it seems to depend on the definition of "spontaneous", whether one defines it as impulsive, but still based on ego, i.e. on wishes, e.g to avoid the undesirable and to get the desirable, which can of course be "stupid" if one wants to use this relative term, or whether one, as Pradyumna does, defines it as"having no motive or bias" which means in my understanding, not motivated by ego, i.e. not motivated by any wish to get anything desirable or avoid anything undesirable. according to this second definition, impulsive actions are ego motivated and thus reactions, and only ego-less action is true action, only ego-less compassion is true compassion. so is anyone that is not (yet) self-realized, i.e. ego-less, able to truly act, to show true compassion? according to Pradyumna´s definition, if I got it right, one would have to say: no Jai Guru Datta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 how can we, not self-realized ones, know what it would be like to be without ego? does a blind born person know what it is like to see a blue sky? jai guru datta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 Yes i think spontanous action will be more compassionate. However spontanous action can also be stupid. And compassion is definitely not stupid. You wrote: "So no action which is based on 'decision making' can be truly 'compassionate'." Yes one decides for ones own best interest. However one can aslo decide to do something compassionate. Jgd, Win Send Flowers for Valentine's Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 sookti 70 of sookti sangraha says the following about self-realization: (www.sadguruseva.org), see below. so how do we have to imagine this, as it is said "If you have to go to the terrace of your house, you do not reach it by a jump. You have to use a ladder and climb step by step till you reach." so do we gradually become more and more compassionate, do we react less and less, and act more and more instead, or do we suddenly become compassionate (hopefully) some day? it suggests we gradually change by gradually emptying our minds of thoughts. not all of a sudden, but step by step. jgd. "Self-realization Self-realization is a state to ‘Be’ rather than become. When there is cessation of thoughts and mental activity, the experience of the Self shines forth. So long as thoughts are there, the Self remains covered by them.Thoughts are like bubbles upon the surface of the sea (Self). They are pre-dispositions accumulated through innumerable former births in the chitta (mind). Their annihilation must be the aim.If you have to go to the terrace of your house, you do not reach it by a jump. You have to use a ladder and climb step by step till you reach. Whatever spiritual path, you are given to, the most important aspect of your saadhana (practice) has to be towards emptying your mind from thoughts. Once this is accomplished, you will ‘Be’ -the Self within you will be self-luminous and that is your essential nature. - Sri Swamiji Jai Guru Datta! " > Yess i think we can be compassionate but we are not-self realised so we cant > be pure in compassion. > Jgd, Win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 Btw i consider myself to be (very) spontaneous. Then again i now how stupid i can be sometimes jgd, Win Winand Abhelakh <dhiyoyonahprachodayat wrote: Yes i think spontanous action will be more compassionate. However spontanous action can also be stupid. And compassion is definitely not stupid. You wrote: "So no action which is based on 'decision making' can be truly 'compassionate'." Yes one decides for ones own best interest. However one can aslo decide to do something compassionate. Jgd, Win Send Flowers for Valentine's Day Latest News and Additions http://www.dattapeetham.com/additions/new.html Upcomming events at Datta Temple and Hall of Trinity, Baton Rouge, LA http://www.dattatemple.com/uevents.htm Post message: JAIGURUDATTA Subscribe: JAIGURUDATTA- Un: JAIGURUDATTA Send Flowers for Valentine's Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2003 Report Share Posted February 15, 2003 Yess i think we can be compassionate but we are not-self realised so we cant be pure in compassion. Jgd, Win. MadeleineHeiss wrote:it seems to depend on the definition of "spontaneous", whether one defines it as impulsive, but still based on ego, i.e. on wishes, e.g to avoid the undesirable and to get the desirable, which can of course be "stupid" if one wants to use this relative term, or whether one, as Pradyumna does, defines it as"having no motive or bias" which means in my understanding, not motivated by ego, i.e. not motivated by any wish to get anything desirable or avoid anything undesirable. according to this second definition, impulsive actions are ego motivated and thus reactions, and only ego-less action is true action, only ego-less compassion is true compassion. so is anyone that is not (yet) self-realized, i.e. ego-less, able to truly act, to show true compassion? according to Pradyumna´s definition, if I got it right, one would have to say: no Jai Guru Datta Send Flowers for Valentine's Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.