乾县铁佛寺移动版

Let’s say I’m ill, I mention this to a friend and he recommends me to his doctor. I don’t know whether this doctor is any good but I trust (or if you like, have faith and confidence) in my friend’s judgment. I make an appointment, go to the  doctor’s clinic and while in the waiting room examine the certificates on the wall. I see that   this doctor did  his  medical degree  in the  local  university and then went on to  higher studies in London. It is possible that these certificates are fake but I take it on trust that they are genuine. I have confidence that the Ministry of Health and the Medical Association make sure that only properly qualified doctors practice. Finally I get to see the doctor. I find her knowledgeable, pleasant and caring and the medicine she prescribes soon gets  me  back  to  normal.  Previously  I  had  no  idea  whether  this doctor was any good, now my experience gives me confidence in her. Consequently, I consult her the next two times I’m ill and I find her to be just as good. Now I no longer have faith that she is a good doctor, I know she is. But I would never have arrived at this knowledge had I not first had at least some faith; faith in my friends advice, in the genuiness of the certificates and in the   regulations  of the  medical authorities. This is how Buddhism sees faith, as an openness to a possibility, as a willingness  to  give  something  a  try.  Some  faith  in  the  Buddha’s  teachings  will encourage you to practice them and persist until results come.  In time you won’t need faith, it will be replaced by knowledge.

QUESTION:  What, according to Buddhism, is compassion?

ANSWER: Just as wisdom covers the  intellectual  or  comprehending side of our nature, compassion covers the emotional or feeling side. Like wisdom, compassion is  a  uniquely  human  quality.  Compassion  is  made  up  of  two  Latin  words,  com meaning ‘together’ and passio meaning ‘suffering.’ And this is what compassion is. When we see someone in distress and we feel their pain as if it were our own, and strive to eliminate or lessen their pain, then that is compassion. All the best in human beings,  all  the  Buddha-like  qualities  like  sharing,  readiness  to  give  comfort, sympathy, concern and caring - all these things are manifestations of compassion. You will notice also that in the compassionate person, care and love towards others has its origins in care and love for oneself. We can best understand others when we really understand ourselves. We will  know what's best for others when we  know what's best for ourselves. We can feel for others when we feel for ourselves. So in Buddhism, one's spiritual development blossoms quite naturally into concern for the welfare of others. The Buddha's life illustrates this principle very well. He spent six years struggling for his own welfare after which he was able to be of benefit to the whole of humankind.

QUESTION: So you are saying that we are best able to help others after we have helped ourselves. Isn't that a bit selfish?

ANSWER: We usually see altruism, concern for others before oneself, as being the opposite of selfishness, concern for oneself before others. Buddhism does not see it as either one or the other but rather as a blending of the two. Genuine self-concern will gradually mature into concern for others as one sees that others are really the same as oneself. This is genuine compassion. Compassion is the most beautiful jewel in the crown of the Buddha's teachings.

QUESTION: You said before that compassion and love are similar. How do they differ?

ANSWER: Perhaps it might be better to say that they are related. In English the word 'love' can be used to describe a wide variety of feelings. We can love our spouse, our parents, our children, our best friend and our neighbor. Clearly, all these types of feelings have certain differences but they have enough elements in common that allows us to use one word, 'love,' for all of them.   What  are  these common elements? When we  love someone we seek closeness with them, we find them interesting,  we are concerned  for their welfare, habits or traits they might have that others find irritating don't bother us, we do not have to make a conscious effort to be considerate   towards   them,   it   comes    naturally   to   us.    Love   is   a   word   for connectedness, kindness, concern and consideration towards another. Usually we feel like this towards those directly related to us. The Buddha said we should try to feel like this towards everyone.  He said: (责任编辑：admin)