Compassionate Goodwill
- by S. N. Goenka
(The following is a translation of an article originally published in the December 1999 issue of the Vipashyana Patrikā.)
An international seminar was recently organised in Lumbini, Nepal, the sacred birthplace of Sakyamuni Gotama the Buddha. The theme of this seminar was compassion and its objective was to establish friendly relations with the neighbouring Buddhist countries.
Compassion
Compassion (karuna) is a very noble state of the human mind. Like selfless love (mettā), sympathetic joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha), compassion is also a brahmavihara (sublime state of mind). Merely talking about compassion, discussing compassion or praising it-all these are far away from true brahmavihara. It is good to accept compassion at the intellectual level as an ideal sublime state. But this is also far away from true brahmavihara. Brahmavihara means the nature of a brahma (the highest being in the order of beings). It is the practice of superior qualities, the practice of Dhammic qualities. Only when the mind is suffused and overflows with such brahmic qualities can we call it brahmavihara. The mind can overflow with compassion as well as mettā, mudita and upekkha only when the mind is completely free from all defilements at the deepest level. This purity of mind and the resultant sublime states born out of it is the fruit of practice of Dhamma.
What is the meaning of living a Dhamma life
It means living a life of morality, that is, to abstain from performing any vocal or physical action that will disturb the peace and harmony of others and harm them.
In order to get established in morality it is necessary to have complete control over one”s mind. The mind should be fully restrained, fully disciplined. For this, it is necessary to practise concentration of mind with a neutral object of meditation. A neutral object of meditation neither generates raga (attachment) nor dosa (aversion). It is based on direct experiential truth and is free from ignorance.
But it is not enough to concentrate one”s mind with the help of such a neutral object of meditation. It is necessary to develop wisdom (pañña) at the depths of the mind on the basis of direct experience and to become established in this experiential wisdom (pañña). By this practice it is possible to eradicate the ingrained habit-pattern of the mind that generates, multiples and accumulates reactions (sankharas) of craving and aversion out of ignorance.
As the wisdom gradually weakens this habit pattern, the old accumulated defilements are eradicated and new ones do not arise. Ultimately, the mind is completely freed of all defilements and becomes pure. Then the mind is naturally filled with the brahmic qualities of mettā, karuna, mudita, and upekkha.
As long as the old stock of defilements is present in the mind and new defilements are added to it, it is not possible for brahmavihara to arise in the mind. Ego plays a role in the arising of all defilements. As long as the mind is ego-centred, self-centred, one may talk about the four brahmaviharas and praise them highly, but one is not able to cultivate true brahmavihara.
The more the mind becomes free from defilements the more the development of brahmavihara. When a meditator is fully liberated, he dwells continuously in the pure brahmavihara. Therefore, for development of the brahmaviharas of mettā, karuna, mudita, and upekkha, it is absolutely essential to become established in sila, samadhi and pañña.
No inpidual of any caste, colour, class, society, community or religion has a monopoly on the practice of sila, samadhi and pañña. The practice is universal. Anyone can cultivate them by exerting sufficient effort. One who …
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