The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1250 page)

 
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(Skt., ‘compassion’).
1
In Hinduism, all actions that diminish the sufferings of others.
2
In Buddhism compassion is a virtue which is of importance in all schools but which is particularly emphasized in
Mah
y
na
. In early Buddhism, karu
figures as one of the four ‘Sublime Attitudes’, namely love or benevolence (
metta
), compassion (karu
), sympathetic joy (
mudita
), and equanimity (
upekkha
).
In the Mah
y
na, karu
is emphasized as the necessary complement to wisdom (
prajña
) and as an essential ingredient in the perfection of the fully enlightened. Hence the
bodhisattva
of the Mah
y
na seeks to attain
nirv
na
for the benefit of all, and vows that he will not cease from his efforts until all beings have attained liberation. In Mah