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Practice of Brahmavihāra in Theravada Buddhism : 135
The
unity. Thus, to develop Mettā (loving kindness) is necessary. purpose of Metta is also to get rid of all kinds of evils in mind like narrow mindedness and selfishness. By practicing Mettă in oneself, one gradually extends toward all beings'.
'Karuṇā'
The Pali term for Karuņa means pity or compassion in the Anguttara-nikāya. It is define as Ahita-dukkha-apanāya-kāmatā, the desire to remove the bane and sorrow from one's fellow men'. If karuņā is taken to be the equivalent of the English word compassion, then it can refer to "Sympathy for the sufferings and misfortunes of the others, causing a desire to give help or show mercy".
Piyadassi Thera defines Karuņa as "the quality rouses tender feeling in the good man at the sight of other' suffering". It is clear that Karuna does not mean helping others so as to get something back. It is the kind of pure mind where in nothing selfishness or ulterior motive inside.
The main characteristics of Karuņā are as follows:
1. to help a person in suffering by ignoring one's own suffering. 2. it take the forms of non-violence in removing the suffering.
According to Nārada Mahāthera", "the chief characteristic of compassion is the wish to remove the sufferings of others". Compassion also augments the eradication of suffering. "Its functions reside in not bearing others suffering. It is manifested as non-cruelty. Its proximate cause is to see helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering. It succeeds when it makes cruelty subside and it fails when it produces sorrow"12
The purpose of Karuņā is to wipe out the vihimsa. Compassion eradicates the cruelty on violence. Karuṇā has the purpose of warding off cruelty and aversion (boredom). Compassion compels one to do anything only for the welfare of others. As a matter of fact, the
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