Compassion and the Capacious Vehicle

In a selfish world, compassion is a nearly extinct commodity. Compassion is defined as deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. The idea that another person has value and is worthy of aid pervades the concept. In today's world, the basic life attitude is to look out for number one. In our modern culture, people attempt to alleviate the inevitable suffering we face with material possessions, and by appeasing desires. However, Mahayana Buddhism provides a different response. The religion, which is based on denying the self and coming to the realization that the self is but an illusion, seeks to bring compassion to a selfish existence.

In Buddhism, the ultimate goal is to alleviate suffering and reach Nirvana, which can be thought of as a perfect bliss, by denying the self. The cause of suffering is desire, and so to eliminate desire, you must follow the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to enlightenment. Once enlightenment is reached, desires will disappear and the self will be free to travel to Nirvana. In Mahayana Buddhism, the pivotal element to escaping the endless cycle of death and rebirth is to realize that the self does not exist, and because the self does not exist, the desires of the self cannot possibly exist. Mahayana stresses the role of ignorance in this process, contending that the ignorance to the fact that the self is non-existent is what causes suffering, therefore once enlightenment is reached, ignorance is banished and the self, no longer a slave to ignorance, is able to travel freely to Nirvana and escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Unlike the ideals of what came to be called Hinayana Buddhism (and which we will continue to call it for ease of reference despite its insulting insinuations), Mahayana stressed compassion, helping others not because of personal benefit but because of a deep felt desire to do so. In Hinayana, reaching Nirvana was the ultimate goal, but was considered by Mahayana Buddhists to be a selfish endeavor in which a person simply helped his or herself to enlightenment, figuratively leaving others in need up a creek. In the case of Mahayana Buddhists, saints who had attained Salvation through acts of good karma and enlightenment did not simply move into Nirvana, they remained and vowed to further the cause of others along the way. This interest in the wellbeing of other selves demonstrates a certain compassion that was almost entirely foreign to the Chinese people of the time.

The focus of compassion in Chinese society was strange to the people because of the Confucian ethic instilled into them. The idea of compassion was largely ignored due to the concept of filial piety. In Confucianism, the family plays an important role in being proper. There is a loyalty of a son to his father, of a wife to her husband, of a servant to his master and so forth. These were generally blood relationships, and because of this, those who wandered or were without family were generally looked down upon. It was assumed that because a man was without a family, he was somehow not pious toward the proper relations and had been expelled. People would think such things as, who is this man who is without a family to care for him? What crime has he committed? Therefore, caring for family was duty and it was not at all expected to care for those outside of a family, because they deserved their misfortune.

Because of the prevailing attitudes toward compassion in Chinese culture, Mahayana Buddhism was an enigma that challenged classical Confucian ethics. However, this was, in some ways, the goal of Mahayana. In Hinayana Buddhism, it was not only accepted, but expected that the ultimate goal was salvation for the self. However, in Mahayana, the belief that the self is an illusion curtails the goal of personal salvation in order to bring as many people as possible to salvation. In some ways, Mahayana Buddhism served as a sanctuary for those in need. “There is no doubt that because of the structure of Chinese society, in which there was no place for unfortunates who for one reason or another had been displaced from their families, the Sangha served as a refuge.” (Chinese Religion, Thompson, p107) In refuting the way of Confucianism and Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism set itself above others and partly for this reason came about the name of the Greater Vehicle.

There is a problem, however, in the goal of salvation for all. If the self is non-existent and people are, in turn, considered to be empty, what is the purpose of salvation? In Hinayana, the purpose is clearly to preserve ones own self and reach eternal bliss, which is logical if there is a self. In Mahayana, the lack of self poses the question of why. If people are essentially empty, there is no point in reaching nirvana, because what does not exist cannot transmute to another plane and exist there. The answer, however, lies within the differences. Hinayana seeks to alleviate suffering and reach Nirvana, however the goal of Mahayana is to gain a personal victory over ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of suffering, and like the eternal cycle of life and death, ignorance is a cycle that carries from one generation to the next. Ignorance of right and wrong and ignorance that the self exists. When ignorance is removed from all people, the cycle ceases and salvation is imminent. Once a person realizes his or her state as an essentially empty being, they are no longer bound by desire, and therefore salvation is not so much a place as a state of being in which they are no longer bound.

In our modern world, it is difficult for many to grasp the concept of compassion. Many would rather find their own salvation and let the others find it. Despite this, Mahayana Buddhism is not alone in this ultimate goal of compassion. It can be compared to Christianity in some ways. The ultimate goal of salvation is not simply to become aware of the possibility of Heaven and believe in order to get there, the goal is to “go forth and make disciples of all nations.” In this way, the concept of compassion is not at all foreign. Other religions have recognized the necessity of spreading the salvation in order to overcome a collective problem (sin, death, ignorance, et cetera). Mahayana Buddhism is no different in its endeavor to enlighten the masses and lead as many of the ignorant possible to overcome their suffering and eternal death whether it be “Hell” or a cycle of constant death and rebirth.

I have neither given or received, nor have I tolerated others' use of unauthorized aid.