Compassion is aspiring to help all beings. 

Wisdom is knowing how to help. 

If, when empathizing with other’s suffering, we feel overwhelmed, we may reassure ourselves that at least we’re being compassionate. But even with good intentions, when we fail to employ wisdom, our efforts to help will likely prove ineffective and lead to our feeling disappointed and frustrated.

What we ordinary beings have yet to realize and thus so far failed to remedy, is that we invariably act from emotions. Rather than from wisdom. Oh, what tangled webs of emotion we weave. They overwhelm us to the point that not only are we unable to help others, we make things worse.

We may have empathy, but can we help others in a substantial way?

Will they be any closer to ending their suffering?

In our practice, instead of reacting blindly from emotions, we need to temper our compassion with wisdom. When we do this, we can begin to truly ease not just our own suffering but that of others as well.

Learn to have wisdom by observing . . . (Click image for video)

Don’t fret.

Just continue with your task at hand. 

One snowy winter day, while running water into a pitcher at the kitchen sink, I glanced out the living room patio door. A car in the visitor’s parking area across the driveway had its lights on. But the car itself did not appear to be running, and I couldn’t see anyone inside.

It was cold, about minus 20 degrees. It would only be a matter of time before the battery would go dead. I also didn’t recognize the car. And with three buildings surrounding the area, there were twelve possible apartments the driver might be visiting.

Pondering this and realizing that there really wasn’t anything I could do, I returned my attention to the pitcher. Which was overflowing! Hastily turning off the water, I, yet again, reminded myself “Compassion, but no wisdom.”

It would have been far better if I had realized more quickly I couldn’t do anything about the car and returned my thoughts to my task at hand. 

When listening to the Dharma . . . (Click image for video)

Buddhahood is unsurpassable;
I vow to attain it. 

The fourth vow of attaining the unsurpassable state of Buddhahood is our ultimate goal.

Only as a Buddha can we fulfill our first vow to help all sentient beings, regardless of their form, path, or state of mind.

Only as a Buddha will our generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom finally be complete.

Only as a Buddha will our compassion and wisdom be perfectly balanced.

But to accomplish all these, it is crucial we follow the vows in the order given to us. The first vow provides us with our motivation—we make the vow that we will help all beings end suffering and attain lasting happi-ness. The second, third, and fourth vows provide our roadmap of ending afflictions, learning Dharma doors, and attaining Buddhahood.

Without this roadmap, we will not know the necessary steps in which to progress, or even what direction we should head in.

With this roadmap to guide us, we will achieve all that we have vowed to.