How to Achieve Compassion and Wisdom？

When it comes to compassion and wisdom, it is easy to associate them with the terms “sensibility” and “rationality.” In fact, sensibility is not equivalent to compassion, and rationality is not equivalent to wisdom. Those who heavily rely on sensibility may be overly sensitive, prone to passionate outbursts, entangled in emotions, or caught in conflicting situations, which can be exhausting. Compassion involves unconditional dedication, selfless giving without expecting anything in return, and the equal care for both loved ones and adversaries, which brings about a sense of ease.

On the other hand, those who heavily rely on rationality often become uncompromising and domineering, exhibiting an air of righteousness and arrogance, devoid of both compassion and wisdom. True wisdom lies in yielding even when in the right, in being gentle when justified, in being willing to accept some losses openly while guarding against hidden threats, in sacrificing personal interests for the greater good, and in forsaking immediate gains for long-term benefits. This is the attitude of dealing with matters using wisdom. Those with genuine wisdom are undoubtedly compassionate.

Therefore, compassion and wisdom are not equivalent to sensibility and rationality. Compassion is the harmony of sensibility and rationality, while wisdom is the harmony of rationality and sensibility. It involves the interaction of sensibility and rationality, not their conflict. If we were to assess the four stages mentioned earlier, in the process of relaxing the body and mind, experiencing the body and mind, and unifying the body and mind, one is practicing the concepts and methods of using compassion and wisdom. It is only when reaching the level of letting go of the body and mind that one truly experiences the treasure developed from within the mind, effortlessly and naturally demonstrating compassion and wisdom towards oneself and others.

——The excerpt is from Master Sheng Yen.