Service, Compassion, Respect, Justice, and Unity
Developing a Good Heart
From the beginning of our existence as humanity, we have been
both blessed and cursed with the need to know the answer to some key questions —
“why are we here?” and “what’s it all about?”. A fundamental aspect of our
existence is tied up in this search for meaning — what it means to you and what
it means to me.
These simple questions have led to a host of complex and often
conflicting answers, and these answers have, for the majority of time, been the
domain of religion in its many manifestations until the present day.
The diversity of religious expression has caused endless
division — at least on the surface. A glance at history is all that is needed to
see the divisive force at work, whether it manifests as religion against
religion, or as opposing sects within a religion. Wars, oppression, fracture —
all in the name of ‘my God against your God’, or ‘my Way against your Way’. We
rush about, citing this or that as the ‘true’ authority, and such and such as
‘wrong’. And what begin as a search for meaning has too often resulted in
division, violence, misunderstanding, and intolerance.
But beneath all the separateness and violence, beneath the
different images and interpretations of God and Allah and Yahweh etc. etc., many
sit silently and wait for resolution, knowing there is commonality amid the
differences — that unity is possible. And it is on this deeper level of
religious expression and the search for meaning that we want to focus — on the
idea that there is an underlying harmony beneath the turbulence of the water’s
surface, an unruffled deep which sleeps beneath the most violent of storms.
This unity within diversity is culled from core
points—fundamental elements of all the world’s religions. Today, we focus on
five of these elements service, compassion, respect, justice, and unity. These
are the eternal amidst the ephemeral.
These elements work together, each enfolding and informing the
other in an integrated cycle. When embraced and integrated, these elements yield
positive relationships and healthy communities. But when ignored or separated,
discord and division rules the day.
Respect
Respect is a good place to start. It’s something we all want to
receive unconditionally, but not always something we inclined to give in the
same degree.
When the subject of respect is raised, it generally doesn’t take
long for the idea to come up that respect is something to be earned. And if we
subscribe to this notion, we run into trouble right away, because if I haven’t
“earned” your respect, then you are free to disrespect me.
We have seen this to be true in our personal lives, and also in
society. For example, in the current social support system, public aid and
assistance is deemed appropriate only for those who ‘earn’ it by ‘good behavior’
(e.g. welfare reform In this light, it can be just as easily denied when people
do not adhere to behavior codes set up by the aid givers. But this is contrary
to the basic principle of respect, and the call to provide aid freely by virtue
of respecting each individual’s basic needs and dignity.
What do the major religions say about Respect?
In Christianity, we are admonished to “Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you”. This implies nothing about ‘earning’ such
treatment, but simply urges us to acknowledge that others are as human as you,
and thus desire and deserve the same respect and good treatment as you. Other
religions echo this: Buddhism: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would
find hurtful” Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do not to others what would
cause pain if done to you.” Judaism: “What is hateful to you; do not to your
neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.”
Islam: “Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish
for yourself.”
So we see that in all of these great traditions, the call is for
fully and freely giving respect to others as a matter of course. Nowhere do we
find the exception of someone having to earn it first — no version says to ‘do
unto others as you would have them do unto you — but only if you think they have
earned it’.
Of course, this isn’t always easy. For many, the idea of
respecting someone we don’t feel is worthy is difficult indeed. This is why it
is essential to j each of the elements we are focusing on today rather than
employing them in isolation. Which leads us to...
Compassion
The injunction to respect others does not stand alone.
Compassion is a necessary support in the call for Respect — the ability to feel
for others and imagine what it would be like in their situation. It is one of
the quirks of humanity that what we so dearly want for ourselves we too often
deny to others. Compassion is the call to fight this internalized view of life
and to extend to others what we wish them to extend to us.
In Buddhism, we find this call for compassion expressed again
and again, starting with the fact that Buddha himself is often referred to as
“The Compassionate Buddha”. A stanza from Buddha scripture reads “As, risking
life, a mother cares for her only child, grow all-embracing thoughts for every
living being.” Speaking further on this subject, the Dalai Lama says,
“Obviously, it is not enough for us to think about how nice compassion is! We
need to make a concerted effort to develop it; we must use all the events of our
daily life to transform our thoughts and behavior. I believe that at every level
of society — familial, tribal, national, and international — the key to a
happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion.”
In Islam, “In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the
Merciful” is the fundamental invocation. Speaking on the core values of Islam,
one commentator wrote, “Compassion represents the true spirit of Islam and is
far more vital to Islamic teachings than anything else... In fact, compassion (Rahmah)
is so central to Allah’s existence that it embraces all that exists in the
universe.”
In condemnation of the terrorist attacks of September I an
Islamic scholar wrote, “Islam is compassion, tolerance, forbearance, and the
gracious qualities of Allah. It should not create barriers or divide people; it
should show them the way and invite them into itself.’’
In Judaism, a central theme is that we should not harden our
hearts to the suffering of others just because we think they deserve whatever
they get. A key point in the Book of Jonah is that we should extend compassion
to others even if we believe they do deserve suffering. One of the main tenets
of the Torah is that Jews should emulate “the compassion of God”.
Compassion is also a central tenet of Christianity, and is seen
as a way to follow Christ’s example, which was expressed quite powerfully in
Christ’s plea when he is being crucified.
He says, “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.” We find the call to
compassion often in the New Testament, including “Be kind and compassionate to
one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you,” and
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as
brothers, be compassionate and humble.”
In Hinduism, one scripture asks, “What sort of religion can it
be without compassion? You need to show compassion to all living beings.
Compassion is the root of all religious faiths.” In fact, generosity and
compassion are two of the “ten morals” of Hinduism and a classic scripture tells
of a devotee saying “forgiveness and universal compassion are the qualities that
have now come to me—pure happiness that has now come to me.” Another great sage
said, “God is attracted to the compassionate heart. Think of each person as none
other than God wearing a disguise to see how you will react”
So we see that compassion is fundamental to the world’s great
religions. And for many of us, feeling compassion for others does not present
too much of a difficulty. Yet there is one instance when many of us have trouble
opening our heart, and that it when it comes to forgiving ourselves for the
errors we have made. So before we move on, let us remember that we, too, deserve
compassion, not only from others but from ourselves:
“Though your errors be as deep as the ocean, the soul itself
cannot be swallowed up by them. Have unflinching determination to move on your
path unhampered by limiting thoughts of past errors... Is a diamond less
valuable because it is covered with mud? God sees the changeless beauty of our
soul and knows we are not our mistakes... We are born of spirit, in all its
purity and glory and joy. That heritage is unassailable.”
Service
Stemming directly from the idea and practice of compassion is
service, which is often called “compassion in action”. We hear a lot about the
‘service economy’ or ‘providing a service’ for someone, but the service we speak
of today is less a specific task than the attitude with which it is done.
An all-too-common attitude today is “What’s in it for me?, and
with this attitude comes the idea that giving without getting something in
return is losing something. But the ideal of service, as seen in the world’s
religious traditions, is the idea that giving without thought of getting
something in return in effect does give you something— greater happiness and a
sense of fulfillment from ‘doing the right thing’. In the great religious
traditions, we see that compassion is directly tied to service.
Speaking to his disciples, Christ said, “For I was hungry and
you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you
invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. 1 was sick and you looked
after me. I was in prison and you visited me.” His disciples were confused and
asked when these things has happened, having no memory of them. Christ said, “I
tell you the truth, for whatever you did for the least of these, my brothers and
sisters, you did for me.”
In Hinduism, service is called ‘seva’ and is of such importance
that it is considered one of the principle ways to reach the divine, along with
the paths of love and wisdom. This path of service is called karma yoga. Gandhi
is perhaps its most famous proponent, and said “Mankind’s ultimate aim is the
realization of God... [and] the immediate service of human beings becomes a
necessary part of that endeavor... For me, the road to salvation lies through
incessant toil in the service of my country and my humanity.” Another Hindu sage
of the 20 century said, “The secret of true life is the love of God and the
service of humanity. Live to help others. The divine power will stream through
you as a life-giving force.”
The ideal of service from a Buddhist perspective is such a key
that the Dalai Lama considers it to be the main point of our existence. He says
“the chief purpose of life is to help others; and if we cannot help them, at
least don’t hurt them.” Another Buddhist scholar writes about the importance of
attitude in serving: “When you do social service, and from the beginning what
you have in your heart is to offer service to others, because others are the
most important, then of course you enjoy the work because of the pure heart. You
see that it is giving you much fulfillment, and bringing so much meaning to your
life”
A commentator on Judaism said, “the highest level of
charity—helping a person establish himself or herself—is the foremost ideal of
our modern social agenda as we address the complex issues of poverty and welfare
and seek the best ways to help people break the chains of poverty.. .This gives
us a way to make the world a better place in which people might live with
dignity and self-respect.”
In Islam, charity, or service to others, is one of the Five
Pillars enjoined on all faithful Moslems. Service is viewed as an investment in
society. As Allah asks in the Koran, “What is the mailer with you that you do
not help each other?” Further, an Islamic sage wrote, “the Prophet Mohammed’s
tradition stresses that a servant of Allah, or a faithful believer, is he who
seeks knowledge, wisdom, and science, and makes use of them in serving others.
The best of men are those who are useful to others.”
So we see that great traditions agree that service is not just
important, but is emphasized as a way of life. And yet, when we look around the
world and in our neighborhoods, we see that many are not hearing the call to
service or are ignoring it. In many instances, this is because people are not
receiving the respect, compassion, and service they need to assist them in their
situation. And when people are left unassisted and flounder in crisis,
hopelessness, and wont, they may feel unable to respond to the call to service.
This brings us to the issue of justice, and more specifically, social justice.
In Judaism, the importance of justice is highly valued. One
scholar said, “...in an ancient world where slavery and injustice were rampant,
the Jewish Prophets were among the first to call for social justice for
everyone, not just Jews... The Jewish heritage has been a very important factor
in influencing and encouraging individual Jews to speak out on behalf of
freedom, compassion, love, peace, and justice for all...”
An Islamic scholar writing about the development of Islam said,
“In different ways and with great persistence, Islam presented to the world the
concept that, in spite of outward differences, all human beings are equal. All
are entitled to equal social status and equal rights. No one is inferior or
superior.” As put succinctly elsewhere in the Koran, “O you who believe! Be
maintainers of justice.”
In response to the idea that spirituality was concerned
primarily with inner transformation regardless of what took place in the outside
world, a Hindu sage said simply, “All for yourself and let the rest be as they
will? What if the great souls throughout the ages had felt this way? Where would
you be then? Religion should work for social justice.”
Christ echoes this sentiment, saying “Woe to you, teachers of
the law—you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your goods, but you have neglected
the more important mailers of the law—justice mercy, and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.”
Finally, one of the oldest Buddhist scriptures from the Pali
Canon states, “Leaning on the Law of Truth and Righteousness, honoring,
respecting, and revering it, being thyself a banner you should provide the right
watch, ward, and protection for your people—for householders, for town and
country dwellers. Throughout thy kingdom let no wrongdoing prevail. And
whosoever in thy kingdom is poor, to him let wealth be given.”
Thus in looking at our ideals of Respect, Compassion, Service,
and Justice, we have seen these themes minored in each other’s traditions and
wisdom. This leads us to the final theme for the day, which is...
Unity
In looking at our ideals of respect, compassion, service, and
social justice, we have seen a recurring theme stated in various ways in each of
the great traditions. This is the idea of the unity of all, regardless of the
seeming separation. This underlying unity is the foundation upon which the other
aspects rest, the root from which the various traditions spring the primary
reason why each consistently calls for us to look beyond our immediate
circumstances and embrace the world as larger than ourselves.
This is hard for us because it seems so obvious that we are
separated, on so many levels, micro to macro and all stops in between. It’s not
difficult to imagine someone thinking, “I can pretty much do the compassion, and
serve, and work for social justice while respecting people. This makes sense.
But this unity business just sounds like poetry. It’s not at all concrete like
the others.”
But consider this: For the longest time, the world was
considered “obviously” fiat. And then it wasn’t anymore. Similarly, what seems
like the most elusive of our 5 themes for the day turns out to be the most
concrete.
Even in science, unity is the bedrock of current thinking about
the universe. The big bang theory states that all life emerged from a single
point in space-time, a “singularity”, that exploded and expanded and coalesced
into galaxies and planets and life—and us.
One physicist recently remarked “(Perhaps) the best way to think
about the quantum (submolecular) world is to not imagine it as made up of
separate parts in interaction, but as some sort of undivided whole. (Current
experiments) prove that these connections not only present themselves in
mathematics but must also exist in the real world.”
So even in science, the universe is “one big thing”—a particle
soup, atomic gumbo. It’s wholly connected, wholly united. And in our world
today, there is ample evidence of the “web of life” concept, the idea that
everything in nature is also interconnected and interdependent, as
well—manifested in biological ecosystems, economic systems, social systems, and
other systems.
And certainly when we move back to the field of spirituality, we
meet again with a consensus that on all levels, we are united—despite the
apparent separations we encounter day-to-day in the world and our communities.
In Christianity, we find this stated using the metaphor of the
body: “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the
body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one spirit we were
all baptized in one body—and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body
does not consist of one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘because I am
not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part
of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? The eye
cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”, nor again the head to the feet,
“I have no need of you”... But God has adjusted the body that there may be no
discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one
another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored,
all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of
it.”
In Islam, this idea of unity is often emphasized: “Hold fast,
all together to God’s rope, and be not divided among yourselves. Remember... he
joined your hearts in love, so that by His grace, you became brethren.” Also,
“God is one unity and humankind should similarly be united. The unity of God,
the unity of the spirit and body within the individual, the unity of society,
and the ideal unity of all reality, are encompassed in the Islamic concept of
tawhid.”
In the Hindu Vedas, the oldest of the world’s scriptures, we
find, “Meet together, speak together, let your minds be of one accord...May your
counsel be common, your assembly common, common the mind, and the thoughts of
those united.. Let your aims be common and your hearts of one accord. Let us
have concord with our own people, and concord with people who are strangers to
us. May we unite in our minds, unite our purposes, and not fight the divine
Spirit within us.”
A principle Buddhist text says, “Happy is the unity of the
sangha (community of believers). Happy is the discipline of the united ones.” On
the topic of unity, the Dalai Lama has said, “Because we all share an identical
need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet is a brother or
sister. It is foolish to dwell on outward differences, because our basic natures
are the same. Ultimately, humanity is one.”
In Judaism, unity is also emphasized. In the psalms we find,
“Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity... For there
the Lord has commanded the blessing: Life for evermore.” A rabbi wrote,
“Religion also teaches us that all human beings are connected by spiritual
bonds. They are all interdependent and interrelated. The harm done to any human
being will inevitably also affect the rest of humanity. In this sense, we can
speak of one body of humanity.”
When this concept of unity is taken to its furthest
consideration, which is the concern of the esoteric, or inner, teachings of each
tradition—whether kabbalism in Judaism, yoga in Hinduism, sufism in Islam,
tantra of Zen in Buddhism, or the mystical teachings of Christianity—the idea of
unity moves beyond the ideal of ‘universal brotherhood’ to the further
realization of unity with the world itself because the world is yourself.
As one sage put it, “Let a radical realization shine from our
faces, and roar from our hearts, and thunder from our brains with this simple
fact: that you, in the very immediateness of your present awareness, are in fact
the entire world, in all its frost and fever, in all its glories and its grace,
in all its triumphs and its tears. You do not see the sun, you are the sun; you
do not hear the rain, you are the rain; you do not feel the earth, you are the
earth.”
So we have seen how the world’s great religious traditions have
mutual agreement when it comes to the elements of unity, social justice,
compassion, and respect. And, as we can see from a look through history, around
the world, and within our own experience, it is much easier to speak of these
concepts than to consistently put them into practice. But awareness is the first
step in the process, and the more these elements are in our awareness, the more
we may improve our practice and do our part in making the world and our
communities a better place by our very presence.
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