Compassion ’Karuna’: What’s the Difference to Loving Kindness ’Metta’? | Ajahn Dhammasiha | Dhammagiri

Ajahn Dhammasiha responds to the question how Karuṇā (Compassion) differs from Mettā (Loving Kindness).

Compassion is the wish for all beings to be free from pain and suffering in any form.

Loving Kindness is the wish for all beings to be happy and well.

Though both belong to the 4 'Divine Abidings' (4 Brahmaviharas), and are closely related, in actual experience they feel quite distinct when developing them:

1. Developing compassion retains a stronger awareness of suffering. It can be easier to 'switch' from developing compassion (which is a form of samatha/calmness meditation) to developing insight/vipassana, for example by contemplating the 4 noble truths
2. It may be subjectively easier to generate compassion than mettā in cases when we encounter abject suffering, like someone dying in pain without proper care or similar.
3. It's easier with mettā to get a bit too 'dewy-eyed', thinking everything is fine and everyone will be a darling if only we radiate loving kindness. We then may be shocked when 'bad' things still happen. With compassion one is less prone to fall into the delusion of 'it's all good', 'we're all fine', 'nothing to worry'.

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