Love and compassion in Buddhism and Christianity
Post on 26-Feb-2023
0 Views
Preview:
Transcript
Zohaib Tahirzt65@georgetown.edu Friday, 12/12/14
Love and Compassion in Buddhism and Christianity: Exerciseof Spiritual Orientation
Viaduct of understanding between the two
Table of contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Love in Christianity ………………………………..………………………………………………………………....2-4
Love in Buddhism ……………………………………………………….……………………………………………..4-5
Comparison of Buddhist and Christian love ……………………………………………………………… 6-7
Compassion as seen in Christianity …………………………………………………………………………. 7-8
Compassion as seen in Buddhism …………….……………………………………………………………. 8-10
Analyzing compassion in the light of spiritual aim …………………………………………….… 10-11
Conclusion …….……………………………………………………………………………………….…………… 11-12
1
Every human being opens his or her eyes to the face of his or her
mother. The infant then enters the process of “care-taking”, where the
mother feeds him, puts his needs ahead of hers and makes him subject
to her affection for the rest of her life. Therefore, since the
beginning of his life, the child is exposed to a state of love and
compassion from his care-takers. These words may seem ordinary, but I
believe Buddhism and Christianity allow us to explore them in a way
that even our linguistic ability feels limited when it comes to
articulating their true dimension. But for the purpose of this thesis,
genuine love and compassion will generally be seen as both independent
and co-dependent elements that not only lead but also complete each
other’s existence in both Buddhism and Christianity. Although, the end
goal in both religions regarding these two religions is the same; to
foster tranquility and contentment, their means to reach the
destination are different.
It is easy to say that everyone is aware Christianity is the
religion of love – this is at least true in theoretical terms if not
that easily limited to practice. 1 The first and second commandments
instruct this characteristic.
1 King Winston, Buddhism and Christianity, Some Bridges of Understanding, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Pg. 86
3
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with your all should, and with your all mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love yourneighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depends all the law and the prophets.2
The essential reason for common expression of love in Christianity can
be based on their Monotheistic belief in a personal god who has
further exhibited it in to his creations – mankind. This was done
prominently in Christ, who then offered his life as a sacrifice for
the entire mankind. Therefore, at the very heart of Christianity lies
an emphasis on the element of love as an important component of our
life. In order to understand this characteristic. In order to avoid
confusion, we can break love down to three levels, through the use of
Greek words. Firstly, Eros that refers to the sensual feeling of erotic
or sexual experience of love, mainly in the form of possession. The
second is Philia, that implies social love; family members, friends,
relatives and society. The final one is the absolute love that God
sheds upon all his creatures alike, which is referred to as the
highest level of Christian love, called Agape. An example of this
divine love can be seen in Christianity when God gave his only son,
Jesus Christ, to men as it is mentioned,
2 The Bible Gateway, Matthew 22: 36-40, accessed: 09/12/2014 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A36-40&version=KJV The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
4
God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 3
At the surface, these varying levels of love may seem to be ranked in
terms of their significance, where the highest form is the love that
God manifests upon all the sinners as the most fulfilling form
(Agape), whereas the presumably lowest one (Eros) refers to the
pleasure and sensual feeling that is just limited to the fulfillment
of the individual(s) involved4 is seen in terms of mediocrity. Although
this is arguably a valid way of looking at it, it has to be noted that
these three levels of hierarchy in Christian love are not synonymously
there different levels of importance. The three distinctions are only
made to point out the different kinds of existence that take the form
of love. Other than that, all three; Eros, Philia and Agape, are like
individual pieces of the same Jigsaw puzzle. Despite their
differences, the love of God (Agape) does not come in conflict with
the love of man (Eros). In other words, physical worldly love is not
completely independent from the spiritual love. These three degrees of
love do not contradict or cancel out each other; rather, there is a
sense of continuity and interrelatedness in the continuum. This shows
that the highest form of spiritual love, instead of being completely
3 The Bible Gateway, Romans 5:8, accessed: 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A+8&version=KJV The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 4 Daniel D. Williams: Love, in a Handbook of Christian Theology. Pg. 218.
5
detached from the humane love, enhances it. Conversely, when there is
a full divorce between the religious love and the earthly, then in a
way the three levels of love in absolute terms become redundant and
itinerant.5 This point is also made in the New Testament in the context
of sexual relationship. The relationship is fundamentally seen in a
positive, instead of a pejorative, way relating it to as a right of
both, husband and wife, in a union.6 This sort of bond can be compared
to the relationship of the Christ and the Church that sets as an
example of a perfect unification.7 Thus we can deduce that the higher
levels of love in Christianity are actually an elevation of the lower
ones; the sexual-personal love is then transformed into the love for
family, peers, relatives and even to the Love of God.8 Although
reducing or unionizing Agape with Eros is not that simple and
straightforward, both Protestant and Catholic interpreters,
5 King Winston, Buddhism and Christianity, some bridges of understanding, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Pg. 89. 6 The Bible Gateway, 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, accessed: 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A2-5&version=KJV
The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 7 The Bible Gateway, Ephesians 5:25, accessed: 09/12/2014.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A25&version=KJV
The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 8 King Winston, Buddhism and Christianity, some bridges of understanding, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis 2013. Pg. 89.
6
Preserve a positive place for Eros within the goodness of man’s created nature, and thus provide for its fulfillment within the purpose of God, though that purpose becomes clear only in the light of Agape.9
The sequential level of love can in Christianity also be reinterpreted
as man’s continuous struggle and quest for the love of God (Agape) and
God’s search for an imperfect man. The imperfection is what gives room
to a need for perfection in the first place and, conversely, the
perfection is what stems back from the imperfections.
The Pali word Mettā refers to loving-kindness with respect to
Buddhism. This is described as a desire to eliminate selfishness for
the welfare of someone else.10 The famous Metta-Sutta gives a
description that allows us to understand the concept of love in
Buddhism.
Whatever living beings there be… May all beings be happy…Let him not wish nay harm
to another. Out of anger or ill will… Let his thoughts of boundless love, Pervade the whole
world.11
It is followed that if a person has an intention to help and desire to
extend his or her services for the benefit of others, then correct
course of action will follow automatically.12 However, in order to
9 Daniel D. Williams: Love, in a Handbook of Christian Theology. Pg. 218. 10 Metta, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mett%C4%81 accessed 11/12/2014. 11 Sister Vajira, tr., Sutta nipata, Maha Bodhi Society, Sarnath, India, pg. 6 12 Venerable U Thittila, Buddhist Metta; the Light of the Dharma, Volume 5, No.1, pg. 51.
7
extend these feelings of love and kindness to others, one first has to
start from the within. This means that, according to Buddhist
doctrines, only by suffusing our own body with affection will we be
able to increase this tenderness to someone; charity begins at home.
Note that one,
Who loves himself will never harm another.13
Therefore, only by creating room for love for one self, can a person
share or have the same feeling for someone else. Mettā in Buddhism
comprises as one of the four related qualities traditionally called
the Divine Abidings. 14 Love (Mettā), along with three others;
compassion (Karuṇā), Joy (Muditā) and Equanimity (Upekkhā), make up
these Divine Illimitables. These can be understood through the two
extreme planes of attachment and detachment in Buddhism. At the plane
of attachment sexual love is experienced at the base. This can then
grow into the personal love that develops love for those around us.
The next level is that of compassion and sympathetic joy where our
love for others has now evolved in to feelings of empathy, sympathy
and pity, that then result in to Loving-Kindness (Mettā). This state
is then perfected when the person reaches the final condition of
13 Bhandatacariya Buddhagosha, The Path of Purification, translated by Ñáóamoli, R. Semage, Colombo, 1956, pg. 347,356. 14 King Winston, Buddhism and Christianity, some bridges of understanding, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis 2013. Pg. 100.
8
Equanimity (Upekkhā). This is where second extreme has been reached –
the plane of detachment. When this level has been reached, the four
traits of Mettā, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekkhā perfect their amalgamation
and therefore allow a person to act as a selfless, benevolent soul
that serve the needs of another without any distinction or limitation.
In this highest state, the “you” becomes the “I” and the compassion,
love and joy for others is seen as our own. In this way, a person
completely identifies himself with the others around him.
Love in both, Christianity and Buddhism, involves an apparent
level of hierarchy that distinguishes one state from the other. But at
the same time, it shows how one form leads and is dependent on the
other. Despite the different terms and stages involved in perfecting
it, it is safe to say that the end aim of love in both disciplines is
the same; eradicating ill will from oneself. In this way, it allows us
to see some points of convergence between the two. The four Abidings
in Buddhism can be compared to the description of love in Christianity
given by Paul,
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,and endures all things.15
15 The Bible Gateway, International Standard version, 1 Corinthians, 13:4-7, accessed 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:4-8&version=ISV
9
Apart from that, clearly there is another point of convergence.
This is when love is first developed as an intimate feeling at an
individual level and then extended to a greater level as we move up
the hierarchy level in both religions. Both religions, when talking
about love at the personal love, Eros in Christianity and developing
love within himself for Buddhism, clearly point out the right practice
of both conditions. The self-growth of love in Buddhism should not be
mistaken for personalized affection as the latter can be seen as an
attachment to the self which, instead of extending to others, can in a
narcissistic manner lead to completely different outcomes. Whereas in
Christianity, there is a clear distinction between love expressed in a
marriage relation and immoral sexual intercourse, where the latter has
been described as lustful and lecherous. But it has to be noted that
these similarities in perspectives does not deem love in both
religions as the same. Even though there is some connectedness between
the levels of love in Buddhism and Christianity, It would not be wrong
to say that there is to some extent more exclusion between the various
magnitudes of love as compared to the Christian scheme. Of course one
cannot say that Mettā has nothing to do with the sexual love at the
10
base of detachment in Buddhism; however, the two are quite distinct
from each other in their features.16
Just as love is significantly crucial to the complete
understanding of Christianity and Buddhism, so is its counterpart,
compassion. Compassion is as important as love in Christianity. The
life of Christ idolizes the need and implementation of this train in
society as well as the bible is flooded with instances where
compassion has been valued as a vital component of life. As Mark
reports,
… He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 17
Genuine compassion in Christianity comprises of three basic elements;
true understanding, moral outrage and bonding. All of these three
synthesis together to foster our understanding of this feature in this
religion. Firstly, true understanding implies the need to comprehend
that in the real world, there is no black or white; just shades of
grey. The world is neither naïve nor cynical, rather a mixture of the
two. And this is what the Bible seeks to explain that Jesus,
16 King Winston, Buddhism and Christianity, Some Bridges Of Understanding, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis 2013. Pg. 100. 17 The Bible Gateway, Mark, 6:34, accessed 09/12/2014https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6%3A34&version=KJV . The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
11
Knew all men, had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in
man18
Even though he had perfect knowledge of man inside-out, he did not
cease to comfort or help them in any way possible. He was aware of the
fact that the creation of god (mankind) was subject to imperfections
and thus sin-sick. Despite this, he did not deal with them with
ignorance, instead reached out to them in an open way. When he saw the
multitude gathered around, he was moved with compassion and knew that
the deficiency did not lie in the harvest, but, instead, in the
laborers who were needed to collect them.19 Therefore he asked them to
pray to the Lord to send them more laborers.20 True compassion is the
result of a true understanding of the surrounding and people around
us. The second aspect is moral outrage. This moral outrage is at one
point shown by Jesus at the death of his friend Lazarus. His reaction
are described by John twice at different places.21 It says that Jesus
not only “groaned” in the spirit but also within himself. This was
18 The Bible Gateway, John 2:24-25, accessed 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+2%3A+24-25&version=KJV The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 19 Grace giving 461: Biblical compassion, pg. 5 accessed, 09/12/2014 http://www.pvcwired.com/ABI-Biblical%20Compassion%20461.pdf 20 The Bible Gateway, Mathew 9:37-38, accessed 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mathew+9%3A37-38&version=KJV The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 21 The Bible Gateway, John 11:33, 38, accessed 09/12/2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11%3A33%2C+38&version=KJV The English Bible, King James Version, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
12
because his friend; God’s creation, beauty, harmony, order, everything
was lost and now the body was simply an example of disorder.22 This is
the level of compassion that is being talked and reflected here. A
sense of feeling that is not just extended to you but by you towards
others. And the third and final aspect for true compassion is known as
bonding. This activity involves the unionization with the object of
compassion.23 One example of this can be seen when God identified
himself completely with Jesus of Nazareth. As man and god became
synonymous, the feelings of grief experienced by man was also felt by
god himself.24 In the person of Jesus, he was completely man and
simultaneously he was completely God, his suffering along man was not
just as man, but as God. He died not just as a man, but as God.25 At
this point, god was man and man was god, and thus there was a
reflection of god in his creation. This can be seen as one of the
highest levels of compassion in Christianity where the difference
between the divine and moral ceases to exist.
As we discussed earlier, in Buddhism compassion is a feeling of
sympathy, empathy and pity. But compassion is not just limited to
22 Grace giving 461: Biblical compassion pg. 6, accessed 09/12/2014. http://www.pvcwired.com/ABI-Biblical%20Compassion%20461.pdf 23 Grace giving 461: Biblical compassion pg. 8. http://www.pvcwired.com/ABI-Biblical%20Compassion%20461.pdf 24 The Bible Gateway, Isaiah 53:4a, accessed, 09/12/2014. 25 The Bible Gateway, Acts 20:28, accessed 09/12/2014.
13
that. It can also be seen as sharing the suffering of others. 26 It is
not just limited to others, but also inclusive of our own self. In
fact, Buddha is asserted to have said,
If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.27
Therefore, in Buddhist tradition, true compassion is not just limited
to the concern for others, but the circle also includes a sense of
responsibility for our own self. So In a way, it is only completely
attained when we not only remember others, but also ourselves. Thus,
true compassion is reached when the two sides are in equilibrium. In
this way, compassion can be divided into two types; compassion for
self and compassion for others. The compassion from the self refers to
the fact of identifying our own condition in order to empathize with
another. Being compassionate does not involve the interaction of the
powerful and the weak not does it involve the meeting of good or bad
situation. Instead, real compassion is understanding that we, as
sentient beings, share the same human reality. In other words,
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationshipbetween equals.28
26 “Compassion”, the Barnhart dictionary of Etymology, 1988. 27 http://www.dailycelebrations.com/compassion.htm 28 Pema Chodron, Comfortable with uncertainty: 108 teachings on cultivating fearlessness and compassion, 2008, pg. 73.
14
The compassion for our self is what stems the growth of the second
type, compassion for others. It is a process of relating to the world
and realizing the same substantive reality also surrounds those around
us. This then allows us to develop our understanding and concern
beyond ourselves, and thus towards others. Christian mystic, Sue Kidd,
describes this process in her article, “Birthing Compassion” as
follows,
The stages and movements in this birthing process entail a gradual shifting of spiritualconsciousness. We move from a false and separated way of relating to the world… finally
to a sense of interconnectedness with all that is, which brings us to the birth ofCompassionate We.29
Another example of this is found in the Dhammapada verse.
All tremble at violence, Life is dear to allPutting oneself in the place of another
One should neither kill nor cause another to kill30
Compassion, thus, helps us make amends. This not only involves filling
in the empty spaces within ourselves by bringing them together, but we
also start to compassionately recognize the separated places within
others, as we move from the conscious “I” to the conscious “We”.
Then the questions arises, if detachment is a way of gaining liberation by remaining aloof from
the world, and if compassion means to relieve others from their suffering, can the two be
simultaneously practiced, or even exist for that matter?
29 Sue Kidd, Birthing Compassion, Weavings: A journal on the Christian Spiritual life, 1990, pg. 18-30. 30 Acharya Buddharakkhita, The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom, verse 130, Buddhist Publication Society, 1996.
15
If we take the path of Nirvana out of context of compassion and
look at it in isolation, there can be some sort of ambiguous
misconception that the only way to be enlightened to by adopting a
lack of concern for others – detaching yourself from the physical
world. However, when talked about in context, I would argue that this
is not the case. The important thing that needs to be understood here
is the difference of linguistics that can serve as a root to such
misconceptions (From Pali to English in this case). It has to be
understood that by “detachment”, the Buddha did not imply physical
exclusion from the physical world. In fact, such extreme withdrawal
from the world is actually seen in a negative manner inn Buddhism as
the Buddha confirms,
because their bodies were extremely emaciated, their… freedom of mind diminished.31
Therefore, such physical isolation, as an attempt to reach Nirvana,
can actually backfire and lead back to the state of suffering.
Instead, the emphasis on liberation through knowledge actually
complements the co-existence of compassion and thus, both notions
complete each other in their respective aspects. Parallel sentences
can be seen contrasting these two qualities in Acariya Dhammapala’s
words,
31 Elizabeth j Harris, Detachment and Compassion inn Early Buddhism, Buddhist Publication Society, 2005, pg. 11.
16
It is through the understanding that he fully understood others suffering and through
compassion that he undertook to counteract it…32
It can be easily understood then that instead of canceling out each
other’s existence, Karuna or compassion is actually connected with
enlightened actions achieved through knowledge. It is the wisdom that
allows the person to develop compassion for others and, conversely, it
is the compassion that compels the enlightened to remain in the
society and act as a source of benefit for others.33 This is also
another reason why there is a lot of emphasis on the combination of
knowledge and compassion that then allows genuine altruistic action to
take place. But it also has to be noted that the intention of
compassion alone without the knowledge of others’ needs can prove to
harmful too. This is what David Burton talks about in his book of
about compassion and knowledge,
There is often nothing more harmful than altruistic intentions.34
This link between knowledge and compassion is equally important
is order to produce a successful compassionate activity. After all,
The Buddha was also referred to as sometimes the great “physician” who
32 Path of purification, chapter 7, N. 9. 33 Elizabeth j Harris, Detachment and Compassion inn Early Buddhism, Buddhist Publication Society, 2005, pg. 11. 34 David Burton - Buddhism, Knowledge and Liberation, Ashgate Publishing, 2004, pg. 165.
17
would recommend people “medicines” (solutions) to their problems. This
could only be done if he had knowledge of their need so that everyone
was addressed according to their own specific requirement. The
characteristic of “omniscience” that is usually attached to the
Buddha35 further adds a great deal of importance laid on being
“mindful” of the situation in Buddhism, which roots back to the
original doctrine of being fully aware and conscious of the scenario.
In this way, compassion involves a combination of gaining knowledge
(liberating oneself through detachment) and being, in a way, alert of
state in order to make an attempt for a successful altruistic
activity.
We have discovered love and compassion both in depth to some
extent that can now allow us to make some sort of a deduction about
the two aspects. Irrespective of the religion, all-encompassing love
starts from within. Compassion for others requires concern for self in
the first place. We can also notice that, love and compassion, both
consist mutual aspects of resilience and spontaneity36 that play an
important role in human and divine interplay. One can either be seen
35 Buddha and Omniscience, accessed 10/12/2014 http://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/fileadmin/pdf/analayo/BuddhaOmniscience.pdf 36 Susan K. Sherman, Compassion in the practice of spiritual direction, Lorian Centre for incarnational spirituality, 2009, pg. 13.
18
as a subset or an equally sound component for the other. They may
exist independently, but their mutual co-dependence and collusion can
offer a greater social benefit to the society. In other words; “The
whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
APPENDIX
I. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with your all should, and with your all mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, youshall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depends all thelaw and the prophets.”
II. “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”
III. “Preserve a positive place for Eros within the goodness of man’s created nature, and thus provide for its fulfillment within the purpose of God, though that purpose
19
becomes clear only in the light of Agape”
IV. “Who loves himself will never harm another”
V. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things,hopes all things, and endures all things.”
VI. “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
VII. “Knew all men, had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man”
VIII. “Because their bodies were extremely emaciated, their… freedom of mind diminished”
IX. “It is through the understanding that he fully understood others suffering and through compassion that he undertook to counteract it…”
X. “There is often nothing more harmful than altruistic intentions.”
20
top related