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Inner Wisdom and Great Compassion

- How to develop our inner wisdom and compassion?
- Which is more important, compassion or wisdom?
- Compassion as an essential element in purifying the mind
- The three levels of compassion
- How to cultivate compassion to become wisely compassionate?
- Compassion vs. mood swings

How to develop our inner wisdom and compassion?

If there is something in our mind, then it has obstructions; it cannot be broad and vast, open and clear, and therefore it cannot really have wisdom and compassion. A mind free of obstructions is a mind without distracted thoughts and vexations. When we are not affected or afflicted by our environment, that's wisdom; with such wisdom, we will have compassion.

How to develop our wisdom?

If you don't handle your own or others' matters in a self-centered way, you won't cause harm to others and won't bring trouble on yourself. This is wisdom. Knowledge is not necessarily wisdom. Wisdom means objectivity and freedom from self-centeredness. We gain wisdom by reading the sutras and listening to the Buddhadharma.

Which is more important, compassion or wisdom?

Compassion is very important; wisdom is also very important. Being compassionate means caring for others, embracing them, loving them, helping them grow, and forgiving them. Wisdom means that we are capable of clearly observing our minds and recognizing our inner state. Wise people are not emotional, so they are able to influence their families to be less emotional. Because you are not emotional, no matter how people treat you, you won't react with emotion. Thus, people around you will gradually become less and less emotional. If we can cultivate and employ both compassion and wisdom, eventually we'll attain Buddhahood in a peaceful manner.

Compassion as an Essential Element in Purifying the Mind

Compassion is the best prescription to purify our minds.

Practices of Avalokitesvara: the Dharani of the Great Compassion

The Ten-phrase Avalokitesvara Sutra for Prolonging Life and the Dharani of the Great Compassionate. One help to remove our obstacles and extend our life of wisdom.The Ten-phrase Avalokitesvara Sutra for Prolonging Life and the Dharani of the Great Compassionate. One help to remove our obstacles and extend our life of wisdom.

How to Cultivate Compassion to Become Wisely Compassionate?

Compassion is both nature and nurture. We are all born with some degree of compassion, which should be tempered with reason, and nurtured like a seedling so it won't wither. And it will grow if we practice by looking inward, and reducing our vexations.

Compassion vs. Mood Swings

Buddhist practice includes two aspects: understanding of the concepts and daily practice of the methods. The point of learning Buddhism is to use the Buddhist ideas we understand to solve the problem we encounter in daily life. It is most important to constantly practice, so as to gain effectiveness and proficiency in applying the Buddhadharma to our daily activities, keeping our body and mind in a state of balance, calmness, stability, and peace.

What is the Buddha's wisdom?

Everyone has the inherent capacity for wisdom that is the same as the Buddha's, but when we have affliction, wisdom disappears. The Buddha's wisdom transcends objectivity and subjectivity. By regarding every sentient being as equal, the Buddha's wisdom, the wisdom of no-self, completely lets go of self and other—no you, no me, no him, no her—and sees all things in a detached, un-involved way.

What's the Buddha-mind?

The Buddha-mind is synonymous with the mind of compassion and wisdom; a mind of great compassion is called a Buddha-mind. The mind, the Buddha, and sentient beings are not different from one another. However, though everyone has this innate wisdom, it's merely not revealed, like when the sun is concealed by clouds. Our Buddha mind is enclosed within the walls of our ordinary mind; it manifests after all our self-centeredness is dissolved

Deriving wisdom from concentration

Spiritual practice can give one a tranquil mind, which can then be followed by wisdom. In terms of meditation, concentration means a progress of practice from a scattered, chaotic mind to a focused mind, and then to a unified mind, at which point one will have more objectivity. In terms of Chan, selfless wisdom is achieved when one lets go of one's self-centeredness and hence becomes undisturbed by the environment.

The Buddhadharma as flawless wisdom and the meaning of flawed wisdom

Buddhadharma represents "flawless wisdom", which teaches us to let go of the self, that is, self-centeredness and selfishness.

How can we achieve flawless wisdom?

Through both understanding and practicing, experiencing the Buddhadharma, one is able to cultivate and achieve pure, flawless wisdom of non-attachment.

Cultivating wisdom, especially world-transcending wisdom

Developing world-transcending wisdom is realizing emptiness. It enables us to reduce our troubles and emotions, while gaining in blessings.

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