The Pitfalls of Indiscriminate Compassion

Venerable Chang Ren, a monastic residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, sought deliverance through the teachings of the centre. This interview, recorded on October 20, 2017, captures his reflections on the nature of true compassion and the dangers of indiscriminate kindness.

Venerable Chang Ren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Many people do not truly understand the meaning of compassion. There are countless kind-hearted people in this world, yet those who are truly compassionate are rarely seen. You might think that many masters or lay practitioners are very compassionate, so how can I say that it is difficult to find a truly compassionate person? In reality, can you distinguish between true compassion and indiscriminate compassion? What is true compassion, and what is merely indiscriminate kindness?

Does your heart waver? For most, it still does, because you have not yet attained the level of true 'no-mind.' When you do many things, you still hold onto them in your heart; these are good deeds performed with a conscious mind. This is not necessarily bad, but you must look back at these actions and see how many times they were merely expressions of indiscriminate compassion. There is a saying: 'Compassion often leads to disaster, and convenience often leads to degradation.' How many people truly understand the meaning of this? Could your compassion for someone actually be increasing their misfortune?

The Mirage of Indiscriminate Compassion

True 'no-mind' compassion is something that most people cannot yet achieve. Does this mean you should not be compassionate to others? Not at all! You must still cultivate a compassionate heart, but you must add wisdom to it. You must be able to distinguish between right and wrong, and you should experience every process with greater mindfulness. Within the process of doing good deeds, what are the flaws that you have failed to assist with? It is very likely that the problem lies in this very link, where an unintended, incorrect mindset is generated, which instead adds to the burden of sin.

Can you be compassionate to someone who is emotionally volatile, thinks in reverse, and acts in extreme ways? Yes, you can! But you must combine it with an abundance of wisdom. If you can also apply the skill of insight into the laws of karma and cause and effect, that would be even more perfect. Many people are afraid; they fear how to face and resolve problems they do not understand. I want to tell everyone: if you could easily see through the truth and resolve things simply, then it would not be a problem. Indeed, this is related to your attainment, including your experience and the degree of your spiritual purification. Only when you are sufficiently purified can you analyze the true aspects of all things more thoroughly. Only with clear sensing can you truly understand and respond to all reactions and changes. These are the skills that must be gained through practice.

When to Step Back: The Art of Knowing One's Limits

However, what should you do if you have not yet learned 'no-mind'? As long as you have no fear and are sincerely helping to resolve difficulties, regardless of whether you succeed or fail, and if you can remove the heart of gain and loss, this can also be called true compassion. Yet, it is indeed easy to fall into the trap of indiscriminate compassion, because you might accidentally add your own emotions, your own intentions, and your own strong opinions. These indicate that you have lost control and have become less objective, clearly deviating from the principle of the Middle Way where neither side exists.

At this moment, you must withdraw yourself—withdraw without hesitation—because it is clear that your ability is no longer sufficient to bear this responsibility. You must timely refer the matter to others who are more capable. You must withdraw in time, stop your thinking, and chant Namo Amituofo to purify yourself, because the layers involved at this point are complex, and there may be interference factors present. You must seek the Buddha's blessings. In fact, the entire process requires seeking the Buddha's blessings. Why does the person have such situations? Aside from karma, there are no other factors. When you cannot help them break through this karma, the interference that manifests is, of course, their karmic creditors; there is nothing else. When you yourself have wavered and it is clear that you can no longer exert true compassion, please withdraw first to save yourself. If you continue to exhaust yourself, you cannot change anything. But if you withdraw at that moment, you can still observe, and perhaps there will be another opportunity to help later. If you insist on acting, you may need to spend even more effort to bring this chaotic heart back to balance. Can everyone understand the importance of acting according to one's capacity?

The True Meaning of Great Compassion

How can someone who does not know how to use a weapon protect their home and country? They might only end up being beaten. You should be able to understand the laws of karma. When you are already being beaten, why don't you run? What are you waiting for? You want to save them, but they are stubborn and refuse to change; you should run first. This is not a lack of compassion; in some respects, this is the true Great Compassion. Why is this Great Compassion? Because it is equal to the compassion of the Buddha. Why is the Buddha, who possesses great compassion and boundless, vast Dharma power, unable to save all beings from their suffering with a single act of power? Why must He painstakingly counsel them, leave behind the Dharma Jewel of the sutras, and manifest supernatural powers to transform sentient beings with karmic affinity? Why go to such trouble?

Because this is true compassion! Great compassion is the manifestation of great power. In these matters of Chao Du, whether saving people or saving spirits, it is all about saving sentient beings, without the slightest bit of emotional involvement. It is purely the application of wisdom and compassion. Have you seen the reasons that are truly being considered? Because their personality has not yet changed, their intense temper and stubborn nature are still present, and their karma is clearly manifesting. This indicates that there are still lessons they need to learn. At this time, one can only follow their current causal conditions and wait for them to be willing to change and adjust themselves. Only then will helping them be truly beneficial. Otherwise, it is only helping for a moment and is not the true path to a solution.

The Necessity of Changing One's Personality

As I mentioned earlier, someone will hit you! In such a situation, saving people is difficult. Those who want to cause trouble have been waiting for them for many years. These karmic creditors need to be understood and communicated with. Their suffering and hatred need the Buddha's blessings to be restored and alleviated. If these spirits do not see the person truly changing, others have no reason to intervene. Once interfered with, these creditors will not want to let you go for being a busybody. If you help them, but they do not change and continue to create karma, you are merely aiding the evildoer. Indiscriminate compassion—where is the benefit? It only causes the errors to increase!

In the attainment of practice, there is a manifestation of virtue and power. Under such compassionate authority, there is naturally an energy field. When moved by this energy field, difficult matters become much easier, because the situation is no longer a stalemate but becomes much softer. After all, everyone is a sentient being; encountering such a soft magnetic field and a warm atmosphere makes it easy to be transformed. This is the energy gained through practice. Why do many people feel their hearts open and their minds clear when they see a master? This is also a type of energy field. Why does the master's teaching seem to be a medicine that can cure all illnesses? This is also energy. Because the followers who believe in the master naturally think the master has an excellent image, and they receive the Dharma words spoken by such an image with great emotion. This is not necessarily because the master has achieved great attainment, but mostly because of the Buddha's blessings and the energy of the image manifested by the kasaya robe. Observe carefully: such teachings only provide short-term help. Very soon, these followers will return to their original state and encounter difficulties again. It has only a very short-lived effect because this is not true attainment; it is merely a superficial result born of infatuation.

A Call to Real Practice

True attainment has the ability to completely change your behavior, and you are willing to accept that change. Such an awakened being who has realised his true nature understands all your changes and observes the causal conditions with insight. He will not superficially resolve your outer emotions; he truly understands you and sees through you across many lifetimes. He changes your karmic retribution from lifetime to lifetime. He knows that such change is painful and difficult to endure, but in order to truly save you, he will never be soft-hearted. When the time and conditions are ripe, he will accompany you in acting out the drama of the karma manifesting before you without a single thought of his own. The obstacles will grind you until you cry, appearing as if you have gone through a violent storm, but the awakened being remains calm and peaceful, with not a single movement in his heart. Only you may fluctuate and find it hard to settle down. This is the purification process that every practitioner must experience during the process of true change. Although the past is gone, certain aspects still deeply affect you, such as the habits you brought with you. If you do not change them, you will never be able to realise your true nature!

This process can teach you one profound lesson after another, and invisibly, it also resolves many fatal karmic retributions. This is not as superficial as the Dharma talks in ordinary temples; it is a course of true learning, purification, and washing away the habits accumulated over many eons. Many times, it appears cruel and heartless, but at its core, it is true Great Compassion. Externally, a master may appear compassionate and smiling while teaching followers, but in his heart, he may be confused and chaotic. His words cannot deceive a true practitioner; one can tell if there is depth just by listening. Everyone can speak of principles, but what is the energy field like? One can tell at a glance. This is the reality. I have no other meaning; some masters or followers might think, 'Why say it like this?' But is it not the truth? We should face reality!

Everyone's past is miserable. The hells have told us many stories. We have all committed the errors of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying, and we have all experienced punishment in the hells. Those who have the courage to face this have not come to this life in vain, because they can repay these difficult karmic sins under the Buddha's blessings. Why not do it? The price must be paid regardless. If you do not face it, it will invisibly demand repayment from you. It could be a heavy price—cancer, serious illness, or accidents are all possible. Everyone knows the fact that karmic creditors seek revenge. If you do not face the true course of cause and effect, you are simply following the original arrangements of fate, step by step, managing the birth, aging, sickness, and death of this life. And the next stop after your life in the human world may already be arranged. Will it be the Western Pure Land? The probability is not high. Will you be a human again? The probability should be zero, because your next karmic retribution may be very difficult to repay.

What everyone cannot understand is the preciousness of obtaining a human body. How difficult it was for you to rotate to this 'human world' station! If you do not want to change the reasons for your reincarnation, how can you possibly escape? Your personality, created over many eons, keeps you in an endless cycle of reincarnation. After reading this, you should know that you must face the task of changing your personality. Practice cannot be a life of comfort; there is no such leisure in practice. One must be cautious and fearful, because for many lifetimes, whether it is habits, personality, or karma, they will follow the process of purification and surface again and again. In reality and in dreams, there will be hidden tests waiting to verify if your change is real. This is true practice. Have you experienced it? If you are still living a leisurely life, it is proof that you have not even begun to practice. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is worth a visit. Why can others be purified? Why can space be transcended? Because as long as you transcend yourself, your space is naturally opened. This is everyone's innate ability, and the Buddha's teachings have proven that these are real capabilities. Finally, one more thing: setting aside skills or abilities, if you choose not to face your karmic retribution, and you do not want to save this group of spirits who are seeking revenge on you and remain in this space throughout many lifetimes, and you can bear to watch them remain attached to hatred—no matter how you view these things, if you have no intention to save these spirits, how compassionate can you be? How much breakthrough can your practice have? You will still be an ordinary person who will grow old and get sick, and you will absolutely have to reincarnate! Because these spirits will take you away at the moment of impermanence!

Learning Buddhism to not grow old or get sick is not magical; it is simply about clearing away these past sins and changing your heart to be pure and peaceful. Pure and good, with a heart of compassion to dedicate this clean body to save the world—this is practice. It is not about how much is in your bank account or the complex thoughts in your mind! You only have one life! The answer is already very clear; you should seize the opportunity and change in time. Namo Amituofo is here; it is a wonderful opportunity. Everyone, think carefully. I also tell you that there are many Dharma protectors here. Learning Buddhism and practising is for the present. Namo Amituofo."