What do we really mean by compassion? Is it just a kind and gentle mind or an empathetic act, such as the giving of food or kind words to the homeless? Until we find the true nature of self, the mind of an ordinary person is always roaming around as a homeless person. Based on that logic, developing empathy for all samsaric beings is real compassion, and that is no different from wisdom. So, how do we understand and practice it?

*“Shravakas and pratyekabuddhas are born from the Muni king; Buddhas are born from bodhisattvas; And, from the mind of compassion, non-duality and Bodhicitta is born the bodhisattva.”

“Compassion alone is first seed for the abundant harvest of buddhahood; Then water for its growth, And finally, what matures as a state of lasting enjoyment – Therefore, first I praise compassion.” Dawadakpa (Candrakirti) [570 – 650 CE]*

Taking as his focus these two verses from the Madhyamikavatara written by the great Master Dawadakpa (Candrakirti [570 – 650 CE]), acarya Kalsang Tashi looks forward to exploring these two verses with all those interested in Buddhist philosophy.

ācārya Kalsang Tashi is a lecturer of Buddhism at K. J. Somaiya University, Mumbai, India. He studied Tibetan Buddhism for 18 years at a Tibetan monastery in India. Kalsang Tashi’s article entitled “Health and Buddhism” was selected for the first prize of the dhammasākacchā National Conference in 2019 organized by the Department of pāli, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India. Kalsang Tashi is a scholar of Buddhist psychology and philosophy from Sera Jey Monastic University, India. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in Buddhist epistemology at the International Buddhist College, in Thailand.