QUESTION: I often hear Buddhists talk about wisdom and compassion. What do these two terms mean?
ANSWER: Some religions believe that compassion or 1 love (the two are very similar) is the most important spiritual quality but they fail to give any attention to wisdom. The result is that you can end up being a goodhearted fool, a very kind person but with little or no understanding. Other systems of thought like science, believe that wisdom can best be developed when all emotions, including compassion, are kept out of the way. The outcome of this is that science has tended to become preoccupied with results and has forgotten that science is to serve humans, nor to control and dominate them. How, otherwise could scientists have lent their skills to develop the nuclear bomb, germ warfare, and the like? Buddhism teaches that to be truly balanced and complete individual, you must develop both wisdom and compassion.
ANSWER: Some religions believe that compassion or 1 love (the two are very similar) is the most important spiritual quality but they fail to give any attention to wisdom. The result is that you can end up being a goodhearted fool, a very kind person but with little or no understanding. Other systems of thought like science, believe that wisdom can best be developed when all emotions, including compassion, are kept out of the way. The outcome of this is that science has tended to become preoccupied with results and has forgotten that science is to serve humans, nor to control and dominate them. How, otherwise could scientists have lent their skills to develop the nuclear bomb, germ warfare, and the like? Buddhism teaches that to be truly balanced and complete individual, you must develop both wisdom and compassion.
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