Wisdom Made Manifest: Exploring Buddhist compassion from Sutra to Tantra
Compassion (karuṇā) serves as a profound Buddhist motif, holding important doctrinal significance from the early śrāvakayāna up to the Vajrayāna. Its conceptual richness and depth is rivalled only by the breadth of its usage. Colloquially understood as a sensitivity to the situation of others, the meaning of compassion in Buddhism ranges from a sympathetic attitude informed by wisdom, a factor of enlightenment, to a fundamental modality of the cosmos. This essay aims to survey some of the diverse ways compassion appears within Buddhism, and the techniques used by practitioners to cultivate this state of being. I will begin with a doctrinal survey, starting with early suttas and moving to Mahāyāna texts. I will then situate karuṇā within the Hevajra Tantra, examining the evolution of its relationship to concepts such as bodhicitta, and how its reframing in this text bestows an additional element of metaphysical gravitas to it. Finally, I will move to contemplative practices aimed at cultivating karuṇā, highlighting works by Candrakīrti, Śāntideva, and Atiśa.
As a Sublime Attitude
