Karuna and metta
Compassion (karuna)
Compassion is a feeling of concern for others who are suffering and therefore makes a person want to do something to help. In Buddhism, compassion is called karunaOne of the four brahmaviharas, it means compassion or mercy. . The Buddha taught that showing compassion to others is something all people can do, even if they find other parts of his teaching difficult to follow.
Buddhists believe that they should show compassion to everyone. They should also try to think about how they would feel if it was them suffering, as this will help them to want to free others from that suffering.
Compassion is one of the The Four Sublime StatesIn Buddhism, these are the four godly states: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, calmness., which the Buddha taught that people should work on and develop within themselves. People should do this so that they know (through wisdom) how to help others.
I believe that at every level of society, the key to a happier world is the growth of compassion.
Loving kindness (metta)
Another one of the Four Sublime States is mettaThe Buddhist term for loving kindness. A pure love which is neither grasping nor possessive., or loving kindness. It is important as Buddhists want to develop this quality in order to help others to be free from suffering.
Metta is a more positive way of looking at life than karuna, as metta is about trying to show love to others before they need help. A good example of this would be giving something to a friend to make them happy (metta) rather than helping someone if they fell over (karuna). Although both are important, metta is more positive as it involves acting before being prompted to do so by a bad situation.
Metta leads people to be kinder, more considerate and more helpful.