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"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and
the blind can see."
- Mark Twain.
Kindness is one of the most important qualities/virtues of Unselfish Love. It
can be described as giving without wanting in return and is therefore one of the
most important ways to access and practice Unselfish Love. There are many
non-profit organizations formed around the world in the last several decades
which support and encourage unselfish giving, or as it is sometimes called,
"random acts of kindness". There is always a great need for someone
who cares for the suffering of their neighbours, and it can only start with the
"man in the mirror".
Kindness in Philosophy & Religion
Kindness is a recognized value in many cultures and religions. It is considered
to be one of the seven virtues, specifically the one of the Seven Contrary
Virtues (direct opposites of the seven deadly sins) that is the direct opposite
to envy. The Talmud claims that "deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all
the commandments." Paul of Tarsus defines love as being "patient and kind".
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama wrote "my religion is kindness" and authored a
book entitled "Kindness, Clarity, and Insight".
Imam Musa Al-Kadhim, the 7th Imam of Shia Islam school of thought, wrote "Kindness
is half of life.". Imam Musa Al-Kadhim was the 7th leader after prophet Mohammed
as per the beliefs of Shia Muslims. Confucius urged his followers to "recompense
kindness with kindness."
According to book two of Aristotle's Rhetoric it is one of the emotions, which
is defined as being "helpfulness towards some one in need, not in return for
anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the
person helped".
One of the four caryatids on the Wallace fountains in Paris represents kindness.
In a study of 37 cultures around the world, 16000 subjects were asked about
their most desired traits in a mate. For both sexes, the first preference was
kindness (the second was intelligence).
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a New Testament parable appearing only in
the Gospel of Luke. (Also known as The Good Neighbor). The majority view
indicates this parable is told by Jesus in order to illustrate that compassion
and kindness
should be for all people, and that fulfilling the spirit of the Law is just as
important as fulfilling the letter of the Law. A common mistake is to think that
our Love should reach only to our direct "neighbours" as taken literally,
but this is not the case. Jesus meant that love should extend to all, no
exceptions.
This parable is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10 verses 25–37:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked,
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he
replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your
mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly,"
Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so
he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: (the parable
starts here) "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into
the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away,
leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and
when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he
came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as
he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the
man on his own donkey, took him to an inn in Jericho and took care of him. The
next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look
after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra
expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the
man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one
who had mercy on him."
Loving Kindness
Loving Kindness (also called "mettā") is one of the ten pāramitās of the Theravāda school of Buddhism and the first of the four Brahmavihāras. The mettā
bhāvanā ("cultivation of mettā") is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.
The object of mettā meditation is loving kindness (love without attachment).
Traditionally, the practice begins with the meditator cultivating loving
kindness towards themselves, then their loved ones, friends, teachers, strangers,
enemies, and finally towards all sentient beings. The basic intent and verse of
this meditation is as followed:
May these beings be
free from animosity,
free from oppression,
free from trouble,
and may they look after
themselves with ease!
-
Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta
The Rewards of Treating Others with Kindness
A nice story on treating others how you would like to be treated and what this could do for the world.
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