Buddhism – One Lifetime Blog

December 9, 2024

The Timeless Virtue of Compassion and Charity: Insights from Major Religious Scriptures

Compassion and charity are foundational principles in many of the world’s major religions. These virtues not only promote personal growth but also contribute to the well-being of society. Let’s explore some profound insights and timeless wisdom from religious scriptures on compassion and charity.

The Bible on Love and Charity

The Bible emphasizes love and charity as central to the Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, it is written, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” This passage highlights the importance of love, which manifests through acts of charity and kindness towards others. Additionally, Matthew 25:40 states, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This verse encourages believers to see acts of charity as expressions of their love for God.

The Quran on Compassion and Generosity

The Quran also places great importance on compassion and generosity. In Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177, it is written, “Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is in one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves.” This verse underscores the importance of giving and helping others as a demonstration of faith and piety.

The Bhagavad Gita on Selfless Service

In Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the importance of selfless service and compassion. In Chapter 3, Verse 17-18, it is written, “But for those who rejoice in the Self, who are illumined and fully satisfied in the Self, for them there is no duty. In this world, there is nothing for them to gain by actions, nor is there any loss in inaction, nor are they dependent on any created being.” This highlights the concept of performing actions selflessly without expecting anything in return, as a path to spiritual fulfillment.

The Dhammapada on Compassion

Buddhist teachings also emphasize compassion. The Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha, states in Verse 223, “Conquer anger by love, evil by good; Conquer the miser with liberality, and the liar with truth.” This verse encourages individuals to practice compassion and charity as a means of overcoming negative emotions and actions.

The Torah on Charity and Justice

In Judaism, the Torah underscores the significance of charity (tzedakah) and justice. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 states, “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.” This passage encourages acts of generosity and kindness towards those in need as a reflection of one’s faith.

Conclusion

The teachings of major religious scriptures remind us of the enduring importance of compassion and charity. Whether it’s the Christian emphasis on love, the Islamic call for generosity, the Hindu focus on selfless service, the Buddhist practice of compassion, or the Jewish principles of charity and justice, these insights continue to inspire and guide us in our pursuit of a more compassionate and just world.

Ray Barbier

December 11, 2023

Love and Compassion: A Common Thread Among Major Religions

Love is a universal concept that has been explored by many religions. While the forms of love and their emphasis may differ, all major religions share the common theme of love and compassion. In this post, I will explore what major religions say about love.

Christianity: The Christian Bible speaks directly of two different forms of love (although more may be interpreted): Philia and Agape. Philia is described as brotherly love. It is a love that is found between neighbors, friends, family, and demonstrated to strangers. Agape is a divine love. It is considered to be an unconditional, and selfless love from God to mankind. Within Christianity there is a large emphasis on this spiritual love ¹.

Judaism: In Judaism, the fundamental forms of love are the love of God, neighbor and strangers. One of the core commandments of Judaism is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This commandment stands at the center of the central book in the Torah. To discuss love is also to discuss giving to those whom you love. The act of giving increases and produces love. However, the love of God is considered to be the truest form of love, and all other loves are a motivation to love God more. Romantic love is included in the command to love one’s neighbor, but romantic love itself is not a central theme in Jewish sacred texts ¹.

Islam: Islamic sacred texts describe two major forms of love, one being divine love and the other human love. Divine love is the love of God as well as the love people hold for God. Through this love comes human love, which is considered to be a comprehensive love to all creations of God, from insects to humans, with particular emphasis between humans such as strangers, friends, family, and romantic partners ¹.

Hinduism: In Hinduism, there are considered to be five stages of love: Atma Prema, Bhakti, Maitri, Shringara, and Kama. Atma Prema is a form of self love that is cultivated through loving others. The more one pours love out the more love returns to them (this is based on the ideal that all are one.) Bhakti is a love that extends to all of creation and further connects to the love of God. Maitri is considered to be a compassionate love that exists through kindness for all. Shringara is a romantic love, specifically the intimacy found between romantic partners. Finally, Kama is a love stirred by attraction and sexual desire ¹.

Buddhism: Buddhism has four elements of what is considered to be true love. Maitri, Karuna, Mudita, and Upeksha. Just like in Hinduism, Maitri is a form of love born through acts of kindness. Karuna is a compassionate love that focuses on the ability to understand one another and to be able to aid/help/assist someone else. Mudita is simply known to be joy (the absence of joy in love is not believed to be true love). The fourth and final element is Upeksha which is inclusiveness. This love is one of acceptance and non-discrimination ¹.

Sikhism: In Sikhism, Pyare means love for the Lord and His creation ¹.

In conclusion, love is a universal concept that has been explored by many religions. While the forms of love and their emphasis may differ, all major religions share the common theme of love and compassion. Christianity emphasizes spiritual love, Judaism emphasizes love of God and neighbor, Islam emphasizes divine love and human love, Hinduism emphasizes self-love and love for all creation, Buddhism emphasizes true love through kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness, and Sikhism emphasizes love for the Lord and His creation.

Ray Barbier

January 10, 2011January 10, 2011

Karma, Choose your words and actions wisely

Everyday is a new beginning that brings with it another chance to change your life and the world you live in. The things you have done and said are now the past leaving you open to make better choices today. You must leave the poor choices of yesterday behind you along with the negative thought processes that can hold you back from progressing forward. Learn from both the mistakes and the good choices you have made in the past, so you can avoid the pitfalls of yesterday and embrace the fruits of your good decisions.

As both nature and science have proven that the actions one takes creates an equal reaction. Sometimes our actions can effect others around us greatly and other times it only effects us. We are responsible for our words and actions so we should think before we choose which action to take. The harm we can cause to others will eventually come back on us in one form or another. This is also true to the good we can do for those around us. Do good or evil and you will reap the rewards of the seeds you have sown.

This concept is known as karma, Karma is basically the idea that what comes around goes around. Here is a definition of karma from Wikipedia

“’Karma’ is an Indian religious concept in contradistinction to ‘faith’ espoused by Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), which view all human dramas as the will of God as opposed to present—and past—life actions. In theistic schools of Hinduism, humans have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences, which require the will of God to implement karma’s consequences, unlike Buddhism or Jainism which do not accord any role to a supreme God or Gods. In Indian beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences. The results or ‘fruits’ of actions are called karma-phala.^”