Love of neighbor in the Buddhist context evokes the foundational Buddhist values of love and compassion extended equally toward all living beings without bias or restriction. It also resonates with the specifically Mahayana Buddhist ideal of bodhicitta, the altruistic wish to help others by becoming a fully enlightened Buddha oneself. Buddhist approaches to love of neighbor are distinguished in particular by the extremely broad Buddhist understanding of “neighbor” rooted in the principle of equanimity.
Probably the most central Buddhist expression of the ideal of love for fellow beings is found in the classic formulation of the Four Immeasurables, common to both Theravada and Mahayana forms of Buddhism. The Four Immeasurables, or the Four Brahma-viharas (“Divine States” or “Divine Attitudes”), are the states of love or loving-kindness (Sanskrit maitri, Pali metta); compassion (karuna in both Sanskrit and Pali); sympathetic joy (mudita in both Sanskrit and Pali); and equanimity (up-eksha in Sanskrit, upekkha in Pali).
Loving-kindness implies the wish for beings to be happy, and is characterized as the kind of intense, selfless love a mother has for her only child. Compassion involves the wish for beings to be free from suffering. Sympathetic joy means rejoicing in the good that others experience. These attitudes become relevant from the point of view of love of neighbor when they are combined with their necessary complement, equanimity.
Among the Four Immeasurables, Buddhist commentators often highlight equanimity. Equanimity presents an orientation in which all beings in the universe are equally included within the practitioner’s love and concern. Equanimity here does not mean indifference, but rather its opposite. It implies the absence of selfish concern or self-referentiality in the orientation of the practitioner.
Instructions for contemplating the Four Immeasurables from within both Theravadin and Mahayana traditions direct the meditator to begin by reflecting on love and concern for someone dear. The meditator then extends these feelings of love toward others who are less close; toward those who are complete strangers; and finally even toward those who have caused personal harm. The meditator eventually embodies concern for all living beings, including those of other species and beings from all the cosmic realms described in Indic and regional Asian cosmologies, such as ghosts, demons, gods, and spirits.
Within Mahayana societies, Buddhists further define their attitudes around the central concept of bodhicitta, the aspiration to become a perfectly enlightened Buddha for the benefit of others. Building on the equanimity, love, compassion, and sympathy generated through practices such as the Four Immeasurables, the Mahayana Buddhist practitioner reflects on how urgently to help others; how difficult it is to alleviate others’ suffering; and how omniscience would maximize one’s helpfulness.
Spurred by these reflections, the Mahayana meditator resolves to become an omniscient Buddha in order to benefit other beings. This bodhicitta ideal implies making all efforts necessary on behalf of others’ welfare, and suggests moreover that one’s own happiness is impossible unless one helps others. The classic literary expression of this ideal is the eighth-century Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by the Indian Buddhist saint Shantideva.
Traditional lay and monastic Buddhist practices in many societies reflect the Buddhist attitude of love and compassion for “neighbors” of every species. An example is the practice of animal ransom, in which animals destined for slaughter are bought by Buddhists and released or kept as pets. Among present-day Buddhists around the world, these paradigms of love, compassion, and the altruistic bodhicitta orientation toward fellow beings are leading to new forms of Buddhist social engagement. Some examples are “eco-Buddhism,” which has included efforts to reduce pollution, to protect endangered species, and vegetarianism; Buddhist efforts to promote social justice; and mobilization by Buddhist communities to build hospitals, orphanages, and schools.
