Kindness in the words of our ancestors

Power Of Compassion : We all know how much kindness matters, and this knowledge makes one wonder who started talking about the importance of being kind and compassionate. You would be surprised to know that kindness is embedded in almost all religions around the world.

The word "Compassion" is derived from Latin, meaning "Co-suffering" when we share the joy and suffering of a fellow being, we are said to be compassionate.

Kindness & Compassion in religious traditions:

Hinduism:

Sanatan Dharma better known as Hinduism is the oldest known religion today. Compassion is the basis of bhakti in Sanatan Dharma.

Compassion is addressed as “Daya” in the Hindu traditions, and it is one of the three central virtues along with charity and self-control. Vedas and other sacred texts composed before 1500 BC also talk about compassion. Spirituality in Sanatan Dharma talks about “Ahimsa”, which is the central concept of compassion. Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word meaning “refraining from harmful activities”.

In the 16th century, the Sadhu, Vasudeva Datta, a man of compassion, prayed to the Lord to deliver all the conditioned souls; his heart breaks to see the sufferings of those souls.

There are references to the importance of being kind and compassionate in our Vedas & Upanishads.

The most inspiring, soulful, and fruitful of all Vedas, commonly known as Rig Veda, is the oldest of all Vedas. Through this kindness, they aspire to a spirit invoking life in others. According to Vedas, action is vital. When we act, we consciously accept our earthly existence. When we act, we embody the spirit and see the universe’s presence.

Mercy, commonly known as ‘Ksama’ in Sanskrit, refers to forgiving the lapses of others. Compassion, described as ‘Karu’, is an act of loving someone even when they commit evil and constantly praying for the reformation of evil beings.

Kindness, referred to as ‘Daya’, is an action-oriented process where one acts to alleviate the sufferings of others.

In the early Vedas of Hindu scriptures, compassion was not considered a vital element compared to kindness. They only mentioned activities of non-harm. But in the later Upanishads, compassion was considered significant after multiple introspections. There is a greater emphasis on being non-harmful than on merely helping others. Compassion is not the mere result of non – attachment but rather the act of directing love towards spiritual purity. In the Chandogya – Upanishad, Compassion is referred to as “Tat Tvam Asi”, which further relates to neurosciences and the ethics of compassion. Schopenhauer has written that compassion is an incentive for rethinking solidarity. Recent research in neuropsychology has also stated that acts of compassion, sympathy, and being empathetic are standard human traits and are embedded deep in our genes as ‘Character traits’.

It has been mentioned in the Pranagnihotra Upanishad that the acts of non-violence and compassion combined with patience are in itself a form of worship.

Kindness is the act that awaits nothing in return.

Jainism:

The central tradition of Jainism is to be compassionate towards all life, whether human or nonhuman. The concept of being a vegetarian emerged from the strong influences of Jainism. The Jains run numerous animal shelters all over our country. There is a bird hospital in Delhi that the Jains run. Jains focus on avoiding killing any living creature and ensuring that they sweep the ground in front of them to avoid killing any insects by accident and use a face mask to avoid inhaling even the smallest of flies. By doing these, the Jains practice the art of compassion.

Islamism:

In Arabic, God’s attributes are described as Rahman & Rahim, which means mercy and compassion. Around 114 chapters of the Quran begin with the verse “In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate”. All Muslims must pay a “Zakat ” tax to help the poor and needy. We all know that Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. But the reason behind the fasting is unknown to many. Fasting is made to help one empathize with the less fortune’s hunger pangs and develop sensitivity and compassion towards the less fortunate people.

Buddhism :

“Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. It crushes and destroys the pain of others; thus, it is called compassion. It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed.” – The Buddha.

Karuna, also referred to as compassion, is the foremost teaching in the Buddhist tradition.

Buddhists believe that if one wants to be happy, one must practice compassion. According to Buddhists, compassion is the characteristic of wishing that others are free from their suffering. In the busy world we live in, we are always anxious, which later turns to either sorrow or anger, and we find it difficult to get rid of such emotions. Compassion is the antidote to the self-chosen poison of anger and misery.

Judaism:

Jewish tradition also describes God as the ‘Father of Compassion’. There are a total of 13 attributes of compassion, according to the Rabbis, and Lack of compassion invokes cruelty in human beings. Compassion was rooted in the hearts of righteous people in ancient Israel.

Christianity:

In the Bible, specifically in the Second Corinthians, God is spoken of as the “Father of compassion” and said to be the God of “Comfort”. The life that Jesus lived is the essence of compassion and reasonable care, where he forsakes his desires and acts compassionately to everyone, specifically those in distress.

Jesus preaches to his followers that “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” He holds up his followers to an ideal of human conduct.

All compassionate people are kind, but all kind people are not compassionate.

Kindness & Compassion

One can achieve kindness by repeatedly practicing Random acts of kindness and purifying their soul. But this regular act of Kindness is not enough to make one compassionate. A kind person responds to a situation but fails to understand the root cause of suffering. Compassion addresses this particular issue. Compassion requires the art of being able to resonate with a fellow being. In simple terms, compassion puts you in other people’s shoes and makes you think in that particular situation. Compassion teaches the art of forgiveness and provides internal freedom. Compassion is the very heart of righteousness. Compassion includes nonhuman beings like plants & animals also and protects & nurtures them.

Everyone deserves to progress in life, and we can always be a helping hand in one’s journey towards liberation. We human beings are one big family, and we must share each other’s joys & sorrows. Kindness & compassion are capable of developing authentic and meaningful relationships, which power & force cannot do. Being mindful of our every action and helping people to the best of our potential constitutes Kindness.

Above all, being kind & merciful towards ourselves is very important. Kindness & compassion have lifetime validity. Just a little act of kindness on every individual’s part will make the world a better place. The seeds of kindness that we plant today will spread like sunshine into people’s lives even after ages. Start practicing the act of being compassionate together with the random act of kindness, and your entire surrounding will become one big family filled with joy and everlasting happiness.