The qualities of Buddhahood that we strengthen every day through the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are wisdom, courage or life-force, and compassion. Of the three, compassion is the most commonly misunderstood, partly because the Buddhist definition is richer, more subtle, and goes further than the usual dictionary definition.

According to Chambers, compassion means 'fellow-feeling, or sorrow for the sufferings of another; pity'. As Richard Causton explains in his book The Buddha in Daily Life, the Japanese word that we translate as 'compassion' is jihi. "Ji" means to remove suffering, and "hi" means to give fundamental happiness.' So, he continues, 'Implicit in the concept of jihi is an emphasis upon action.'

Sympathy - feeling sorry for someone - can be the impulse for compassionate action, as can empathy - really understanding how they are feeling through intuition, or because of our own experience. And, of course, compassionate action is much easier to take when we have these fellow feelings, especially when we like the other person.

But jihi, you'll notice, doesn't mention pity, empathy or sympathy. Not that we don't or shouldn't feel these kindly emotions, but they aren't required if we are to show compassion as Buddhists. All that counts is that we remove the suffering and replace it by happiness, whatever our personal feelings. This is where the concept becomes tough.

The compassion that is revealed in Buddhahood is completely impartial - to be shown to everyone: even people we dislike intensely, or who have done us wrong. It's much harder to be compassionate towards a loud and bullying neighbour, or an ex-partner who hurt us so badly. It can be confusing to know how to be compassionate in these difficult circumstances. Some people guess it means you must be unfailingly nice, and only say pleasing things to other people, but that's not necessarily so.

Suppose you have a colleague who is awkward and surly, and whom nobody likes. She complains bitterly to you about how people behave to her, and tells you in detail why it is always everyone else's fault. What's the compassionate thing to do? To nod sympathetically and agree with her about how hard done by she is? Does this remove suffering and give fundamental happiness? Perhaps she feels momentarily better. But her behaviour continues in the same way, so her suffering is prolonged. Compassion, instead, is telling her the hard truth about what it is that she does that contributes to the situation - in such a way that she can accept what you are saying, and start the process of change that will revolutionise her interactions with other people and lead to happiness.

This is easier said than done. We have to be brave to tell people something they don't want to hear (which is why we need life-force or courage, another of the qualities of Buddhahood). We have to find the right words and tone of voice, or all we'll do is upset the person and achieve nothing (we need the wisdom of the Buddha). We must have the energy to be able to follow through with support if necessary (again this requires life-force, the equivalent of courage). We also have to be completely sure that we are motivated by compassion, and not anger, resentment or revenge - which will shine through however carefully we express ourselves. We need, in other words, every element of our most excellent self - which is contained in Buddhahood.

The test always is: have I removed suffering and prepared the way for fundamental happiness? If so, I have been compassionate. However good our intentions, it is the result that counts.

Many people talk about treating oneself compassionately first of all, as a step towards being truly compassionate towards other people. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves, and we need to realize that this holds us back. But, just as it can be compassionate to tell someone an uncomfortable truth, so being compassionate to ourselves can also mean raising our own standards, and determining to change something about ourselves that has created suffering in the past and will continue to do so.

Nichiren Daishonin taught that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the key to fundamental, unshakeable happiness. Through practising Buddhism as he taught, we develop the capacity to take whatever life throws at us good and bad - with the confidence that is the basis of happiness. That is why the ultimate compassionate act is to give other people the tools to do the same - to tell them about Nichiren Daishonin's teachings so that they can develop their own Buddhahood and ultimate happiness.

The morning and evening prayers which form part of our Buddhist practice include the words, 'Mai ji sa ze nen. I ga ryo shujo. Toku nyu mujo do. Soku joju busshin.' (This is my constant thought: how can I cause all living beings to gain entry to the highest way and quickly attain Buddhahood?) These words express the heartfelt desire which lies at the very core of all Buddhas. We repeat them eight times a day, engraving them in our own hearts and minds. This is our promise - to reveal compassion, a promise we make to ourselves and others. Our challenge is to find our own unique way of doing it.

This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.