For the army colonel see Colonel Karuna.

Karuna (originally a Pali word; also regarded as a Sanskrit word) is the Jainist concept of love. It is also translated as "compassion," a key concept of Mahayana Buddhism (see Bodhisattva and Avalokitesvara). As mercy, it is the special kindness shown to those who suffer. It is considered the indispensable complement to enlightened wisdom or Prajña. Compassion is important in all schools of Buddhism. Colonel Karuna Amman is the nom de guerre of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (born 1966), the leader of a Sri Lankan government alligned breakaway faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and a regional warlord. ... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम् ; pronunciation: ) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... Jaina redirects here. ... The Chinese character for love —its parts indicating (top to bottom): That which gives breath (ie. ... Ûæ:For the Doctor Who character, see Compassion (Doctor Who). ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... Buddhism is a religion and philosophy focusing on the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni (Siddhārtha Gautama), who probably lived in the 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following the Buddhas death, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and East Asia... Prince Siddhartha Gautama as a bodhisattva, before becoming a Buddha. ... Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ... Mercy is a term used to describe the leniency or compassion shown by one person to another, or a request from one person to another to be shown such leniency or compassion. ... Look up kindness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with philosophy. ... Prajñā (Sanskrit; Pali: paññā; Tibetan: shes rab, Chinese: 般若, banruo) meaning wisdom, cognitive acuity; or know-how -- but especially the Buddhist wisdom that is based on a realization of dependent origination, not-self, emptiness, etc. ...

Karuna is commonly summed up as wisdom tempered with compassion.

See also

• Brahma-viharas

The Brahma-viharas (literally: “Brahma-abidings”, “dwellings with Brahma”) are an ancient fourfold Buddhist meditational practice, the cultivation of which is said (by the Buddha) to have the power to cause the practitioner to be re-born in the realm of the god, Brahma. ...

External links

• The Bodhisattva Ideal - Buddhism and the Aesthetics of Selflessness