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**hhynmtrxcp** · 11-30-2011, 11:43 PM

Compassion is all very well, but did Buddha say much about where to draw the line. Is it O.K to ignore some people by virtue of their mental/ physical condition, when efforts for decades have proved fruitless and may well have exacerbated the problems.

Seems that "compassion" is not a very cool issue even in Buddhist practice. And the reason is quite simple. We have to develop compassionate feelings toward oneself before doing this with "the other".

Compassion has not to be supported over relationships, but over the fact of people's common aspiration for happiness.

The person you are commenting about has shown that all his mental structure talks about a deep need of metta but stained with the ingnorance about the existence of Dhamma.

This do not means that you have to be attached to her/him in a mutual destructive relationship. Maybe there is the line that needs to be drawn.

Thus, the important thing is the intention of the drawn line.

One thing is to get ride far from something in terms of aversion and other is that of a healthy healing distance -the drawn line- not governed by aversion, but because metta. A needed distance so to cope well with a situation.

In an earlier thread I mentioned the idea of Idiot Compassion and must say I still find this issue hard to get around. Genuine compassion is not idiot. It is the complement of metta or loving kindness. Again, what is important is intention guided by compassion. This is, the intention of harmlessness.

The importance of good will and harmlessness is that to be the guide of intentions. Compassionate feelings are about not harbouring harmful feelings toward others.

To draw the line, if possible, should be done with this mental state.

I do not consider myself a good or pious person; conversely I think that the general tenets of Buddhism as I perceive it, may come across as pushing the intrinsic goodness of all sentient beings just a little too strongly. Don't worry Murshovski. We all are in the process of learning. And seems that nobody is at all.

11-30-2011, 11:43 PM	#10
hhynmtrxcp Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 444 Senior Member	Compassion is all very well, but did Buddha say much about where to draw the line. Is it O.K to ignore some people by virtue of their mental/ physical condition, when efforts for decades have proved fruitless and may well have exacerbated the problems. Seems that "compassion" is not a very cool issue even in Buddhist practice. And the reason is quite simple. We have to develop compassionate feelings toward oneself before doing this with "the other". Compassion has not to be supported over relationships, but over the fact of people's common aspiration for happiness. The person you are commenting about has shown that all his mental structure talks about a deep need of metta but stained with the ingnorance about the existence of Dhamma. This do not means that you have to be attached to her/him in a mutual destructive relationship. Maybe there is the line that needs to be drawn. Thus, the important thing is the intention of the drawn line. One thing is to get ride far from something in terms of aversion and other is that of a healthy healing distance -the drawn line- not governed by aversion, but because metta. A needed distance so to cope well with a situation. In an earlier thread I mentioned the idea of Idiot Compassion and must say I still find this issue hard to get around. Genuine compassion is not idiot. It is the complement of metta or loving kindness. Again, what is important is intention guided by compassion. This is, the intention of harmlessness. The importance of good will and harmlessness is that to be the guide of intentions. Compassionate feelings are about not harbouring harmful feelings toward others. To draw the line, if possible, should be done with this mental state. I do not consider myself a good or pious person; conversely I think that the general tenets of Buddhism as I perceive it, may come across as pushing the intrinsic goodness of all sentient beings just a little too strongly. Don't worry Murshovski. We all are in the process of learning. And seems that nobody is at all.
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