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Last Updated on August 28, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov
Compassion, or karuna in Pali, is the wish that beings be free from suffering. One of the four brahma-viharas, it is a mindstate or disposition the Buddha instructed us to cultivate in and out of meditation practice.
The cultivation of the quality of compassion is essential on our path, and goes hand in hand with both mindfulness and the other heart practices. It’s helpful to understand that compassion is not empathy, and with practice and effort we can develop this quality in ourselves.
Compassion in Buddhism
As one of the brahma-viharas, compassion is a quality of heart that the Buddha taught is essential for us to develop in our practice. The Pali word brahma refers to a high being who resides in a heavenly realm. Vihara means abode or dwelling. Thus we can understand brahma-viharas as the heavenly abodes.
Karuna, or compassion, is one of these four. We can understand it as the way to dwell in a heavenly realm. In the Maha-Rahuolovada Sutta (more on this below), the Buddha specifically says compassion is a path to companionship with the brahma.
The Role of Compassion
In Buddhism, the role of compassion is to meet suffering with wisdom and tenderness. It comes after metta, or loving-kindness. With metta, we open the heart to wish well for all beings. Compassion can be understood as what happens when metta comes into contact with suffering.
We understand compassion as the wise response to suffering in our lives. Whether it is suffering we are experiencing or somebody else is experiencing, the most skillful response we can offer is compassion. This means responding with a tender heart, wishing for the individual to be free from said suffering, and not averting.
Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield often says that we can think of it with an example of violins. If I play a violin in one room, the strings of a violin in another room will softly vibrate. This is compassion. When we see suffering, we allow it to resonate with us in our hearts.
Near and Far Enemies
The concept of near and far enemies was introduced in Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga in the 5th century. This work is considered the most important commentary on the Buddhist suttas, and many of our practices we use today come from it.
The near enemy is a quality which looks similar to the brahma-vihara but is not quite what we are aiming for. In compassion’s case, the near enemy is often translated as pity. Pity is a quality that puts us “above” others who are suffering.
In my experience, pity often arises due to an overwhelm or discomfort with the pain. When we are observing suffering in someone, pity allows us to put a little distance between ourselves and the person rather than meeting it fully with an open heart.
The far enemy, which is the opposite quality, is cruelty or harming. This is fairly clear. Rather than caring for the suffering of others, we are actively causing it. This also helps illustrate the commentator’s understanding of compassion as action-based as cruelty and harming are both actions.
Compassion in the Suttas
There are several suttas, or discourses, where the Buddha specifically mentions compassion. There is the Tevijja Sutta where the Buddha covers all four of the heart practices, instructing that we should pervade “the entire world with a mind imbued with compassion.”
In the Maha-Rahuolovada Sutta the Buddha instructs his son Rahula to develop the four heavenly abodes as well. It is specifically mentioned, “”Develop the meditation of compassion. For when you are developing the meditation of compassion, cruelty will be abandoned.”
Finally, we have the Subha Sutta, in which the Buddha talks once again about the four heart practices. In conversation with a young student Subha, the Buddha instructs him to “spread a heart full of compassion to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of compassion to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.”
In this last example, we can see where we get the common practice of radiating out compassion in meditation. More on this down in the section on meditation!
Compassion vs. Empathy
I do think it is important to distinguish compassion from empathy. Both may be skillful qualities or admirable characteristics in somebody, but in this context they are different. Empathy can be understood as the ability to understand and share/feel the feelings of another person.
Compassion is more action-oriented. Rather than just feeling the pain or suffering, compassion encourages a movement toward action to alleviate the suffering. In a way, it starts with empathy but includes acting.
Self-Compassion
There are not places in the suttas where the Buddha spoke extensively about self-compassion. However, there are discussions about avoiding self-harm, treating oneself with kindness, and cultivating wholesome mental states toward oneself.
As Buddhism came to meet Western psychology, self-compassion became a much more prominent idea. Far at the forefront of this is Dr. Kristen Neff, who I highly recommend checking out.
She has conducted extensive research on self-compassion, written books on the matter, and uses her strong understanding of both Buddhism and modern psychology to offer pragmatic and approachable ways to cultivate self-compassion.
Compassion Meditation
As with many qualities on the Buddhist path, we can cultivate compassion through meditation practice. There are many ways to do this. The most common is through an offering of compassion phrases to various people.
We do this by starting with ourselves, offering phrases toward the suffering. We then move to an “easy” person, or someone toward whom extending compassion comes naturally. Next we go to a neutral person, perhaps a stranger. We then end with a difficult person.
Some commonly used compassion meditation phrases and ones I personally use include:
- May you be free from suffering.
- May you be free from pain and sorrow
- I see your suffering
- I care about your suffering
The other method, coming from the suttas and Visuddhimagga, is to extend compassion out in all directions. We might start by offering compassion to the people in our home. We then extend our circle to our block, city, state or province, country, and the world.
Below are a few meditations from our YouTube channel. Some you may notice are a part of our free 30 Day Meditation Challenge. These are simply different ways to practice compassion or direct the quality toward different people/experiences. You can also work with compassion as a form of moving meditation, especially walking meditation!
Mindfulness and Compassion
I do think that it is important to address the role of the heart practices in our mindfulness as well. As we practice mindfulness, we are bound to come up against some suffering and discomfort.
A dedicated period of compassion practice can help us meet these moments with more care and tenderness. Aversion is one of the Three Unwholesome Roots, or chief causes of suffering. Compassion is a way to meet the moments of discomfort with presence rather than aversion.
Furthermore, we can make a point to make compassion part of our mindfulness meditation. When you notice suffering or discomfort arising, put forth the energy to respond with compassion. You may even try offering yourself a few phrases of compassion in these moments.
In the same way, mindfulness must be a part of our compassion practice. As we practice compassion, we can notice the responses of both the mind and body. Coming face to face with suffering we tune into the experience, any aversion that arises, and if any physical sensations arise in the body.
Compassion in Daily Life
Finally, daily life offers us plenty of opportunity to practice compassion. The base of our compassion is to respond with tenderness and care when faced with suffering. Whether it is suffering that we are experiencing or another is, we are called to meet it with a compassionate heart.
Compassion starts with tuning into the suffering, not averting from it. When you notice a difficulty, pain, or suffering in the world or in yourself, make a point to start with attention. Be present for it, perhaps offer some phrases of compassion, and observe any aversion that arises.
Let us also not forget the action portion of compassion. Take action where you can. Remember the practice of equanimity and staying balanced. We must be careful to not fall into pity or allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by the suffering. This takes time and practice.
In my years of meditating and working with students across the world, I’ve found that compassion can have powerful benefits in the lives of those who practice. I encourage you to make compassion a part of your meditation practice, and investigate how you can act with compassion off the cushion.
To stay connected, join the free WhatsApp group. The group is a place to ask questions, discuss mindfulness, find meditations, and get links and topics to the weekly sitting group. You can join the group for free at OneMindDharma.com/chat.
