Buddhist Vocabulary: Compassion

Buddhist Path
Written By Lama Döndrup

Word origins:

Tibetan: snying rje (Wylie), nying je (phonetics)

Sanskrit & Pāli: karuṇā

snying: king, majesty, sovereign, noble

rje: heart, mind, courage

The courageous, noble heart that, based on the recognition of the equality of self and other, one recognizes and experiences that another’s pain and suffering is no different than one’s own, and therefore wishes for all beings to be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Compassion is one of the four brahma viharas (sublime abodes).

When the wish for all beings to be free of suffering expands into to the wish to attain awakening so that one may liberate being from the suffering of samsara, it is called great compassion, nyingje chenpo or mahākarunā.

Lama Döndrup

Lama Döndrup has been practicing and studying in the Buddhist tradition since the mid-1990’s. After five years of Theravadin Buddhist training, she immersed herself in the teachings and practices of the Shangpa and Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. In 2005, she completed a traditional three-year retreat under the guidance of Lama Palden and Lama Drupgyu with the blessing of her root guru, Bokar Rinpoche and was authorized as a lama. Upon her return to Marin County, she began teaching at Sukhasiddhi Foundation. In January 2020, as Lama Palden’s successor, she stepped into the role of Resident Lama, guiding the Center’s ministerial work. Lama Döndrup’s teaching style is thorough and clear yet with light touch as she supports the natural unfolding of each student’s innate wisdom and compassion. She aims to preserve the authenticity of the tradition while making the teachings and practices relevant and accessible to the lives of 21st century Westerners. In addition to her Buddhist practice, Lama Döndrup trained the Ridhwan School’s Diamond Approach for seven years and has a Masters of Fine Arts degree in piano performance. She is an active classical pianist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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