Forms of Compassion
There seems to be a few different forms of compassion.
Compassion from realized selflessness
One is what happens when Ground - Spirit, Buddha Mind, Big Mind, Divine Mind, Emptiness, What Is - awakens to its own nature. Here, everything arising is revealed as Ground (etc.), and there is no I anywhere.
There is still a functional connection with a particular human self, and when this human self encounters Ground functionally connected with another self, and is (apparently) confused about its identity, then compassion naturally arises. It is as simple as the left hand helping the right. Effortless. Natural. Spontaneous. Without drama.
Compassion in the context of an idea of I
The other form of compassion is what happens when there is still a belief in the idea of I, still an identification with a segment of what is, typically our human self. This compassion is usually mixed with a sense of drama, ambivalence, struggle, effort, precariousness, and so on.
A belief in the idea of I creates the whole sense of I and Other, and the sense of ambivalence, struggle and drama inherent in that experience. And when there is a belief in the idea of I, there are usually beliefs in lots of other ideas as well, which only complexifies and amplifies the sense of drama, struggle and ambivalence.
Even here, the natural and effortless compassion arising from realized selflessness can come through. It is, after all, what we already are, so it will come through at times.
Labels: compassion, realized selflessness