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Compassion, Self-compassion, and Skill in Means: a Mahāyāna Perspective

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Abstract

In the context of both research and clinical applications, Buddhist sources have inspired the theoretical and practical aspects of self-compassion as a construct and target of mental training. However, the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions that most strongly emphasize the importance of compassion articulate it in ways that are incompatible with contemporary notions of self-compassion. This article examines these incompatibilities in terms of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist theory and practice. In theoretical terms, the articulation of compassion as centered on others (and not self) is explained in terms of its overall motivational purpose in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. And in terms of Buddhist practices for cultivating compassion, incompatibilities in relation to motivation and phenomenological structure are examined. The possibility that self-compassion could be aligned with Buddhist notions of renunciation is next considered. The problems that arise in that attempted alignment motivate a concluding discussion about the ways that Buddhist insights about compassion suggest potentially useful ways of reconsidering contemporary conceptualizations and practices of self-compassion as a “skilful means” to address obstacles to cultivating a sincere motivation to strive for one’s own well-being.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the kind assistance of Ven. Khamsang, Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (Dharamsala, India) and Simon Goldberg (University of Wisconsin-Madison). The authors also acknowledge the support provided by the Hershey Family Foundation, Peggy Hedberg, and G. Timothy and Francene Orrok.

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  1. Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 625 West Washington Avenue, Madison, WI, 53703, USA

    John D. Dunne & Jeremy Manheim

  2. Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    John D. Dunne & Jeremy Manheim

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Correspondence to John D. Dunne.

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Dunne, J.D., Manheim, J. Compassion, Self-compassion, and Skill in Means: a Mahāyāna Perspective. Mindfulness 14, 2374–2382 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01864-0

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