Quotes About Compassion

the religion of compassion is followed only by a minority; most religious people are content with decorous worship in synagogue, church, temple and mosque.

Our Master's Way," explained one of his pupils, "is nothing but this: doing-your-best-for-others (zhong) and consideration (shu)."3

it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both have the same idea of what constitutes truth.

the attempt to become a compassionate human being is a lifelong project.

Charity," Davidson continues, "is forced on us, whether we like it or not; if we want to understand others, we must count them right in most matters."13

There are many opinionated religious people who would do well to heed Paul's warnings to the "strong" who were intimidating the "weak" with their overbearing certainty. Above all, we need to take seriously Paul's insight that no virtue was valid unless it was imbued with a love that was not a luxurious emotion in the heart but must be expressed daily and practically in self-emptying concern for others.

The "principle of charity" and the "science of compassion" are both crucial to any attempt to understand discourse and ideas that initially seem baffling, distressing, and alien;

With this new empathetic understanding of the context, we will find that we can imagine ourselves, in similar circumstances, feeling the same.

It was not violence and self-assertion, but the spirit of mercy, courtesy and tranquillity that would cause the ummah to grow, "as a seed that puts forth its shoot and strengthens it and it grows stout and raises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the owners.

You could stamp on this natural shoot of compassion, Mencius argued, just as you can cripple or deform your body, but if you cultivate this altruistic tendency assiduously, it will acquire a dynamic power of its own.23 The

Shu required that "all day and every day" we looked into our own hearts, discovered what caused us pain, and then refrained, under all circumstances, from inflicting that distress upon other people. It demanded that people no longer put themselves into a special, separate category but constantly related their own experience to that of others. Confucius was the first to promulgate the Golden Rule. For Confucius it had transcendent value.

Any interpretation of scripture that bred hatred or disdain for others was illegitimate

Mozi believed that a policy could be called virtuous only if it enriched the poor, prevented pointless death, and contributed to public order.

if we harm our neighbors, we also inflict damage on ourselves. There

Constantly the Qur'an insists upon the importance of mercy and forgiveness, even during armed conflict.

We are trying to retrain our responses and form mental habits that are kinder, gentler, and less fearful of others.

included: no religious doctrine or practice can be authentic if it does not lead to practical compassion.

Religious people prefer to be right rather than be compassionate.

A truly compassionate person touches a chord in us that resonates with some of our deepest yearnings. People flock to such individuals, because they seem to offer a haven of peace in a violent, angry world. This is the ideal to which we aspire, and it is not beyond our capacity. But even if we achieve only a fraction of this enlightenment and leave the world marginally better because we have lived in it, our lives will have been worthwhile.

the sacred reality is not simply transcendent, "out there," but is enshrined in every single human being, who must, therefore, be treated with absolute honor and respect.

Golden rule is not a notional doctrine that you either agree with, or make yourself believe in. It is a method and the only adequate test of any method is to put it into practice.

it is neither helpful nor accurate to assume that other people are always responsible for our pain.

People who have been taught to despise themselves cannot easily respect others.

Muhammad had no ideological quarrel with the Jewish people. He once said, "He who wrongs or destroys a Jew or a Christian will have me to answer on the Day of Judgment.