In Mahāyāna thought, compassion (karuṇā) is not an optional ornament of the path but its very heartbeat, standing alongside wisdom (prajñā) as a fundamental pillar. It functions as the primary motivation for spiritual practice, turning the quest for awakening away from private escape and toward the welfare of all sentient beings. This compassionate resolve is crystallized in the aspiration to attain Buddhahood so that others may be freed from suffering, rather than seeking liberation for oneself alone. In this way, compassion becomes the inner orientation that gives direction and meaning to every stage of practice.

This orientation finds its most characteristic expression in the bodhisattva ideal. The bodhisattva vows to remain engaged in saṃsāra, even postponing final nirvāṇa, until all beings are liberated from suffering. Such a vow is not merely a poetic gesture but a disciplined commitment to cultivate compassion in thought, word, and deed. The bodhisattva path thus transforms spiritual life into a long-term dedication to the alleviation of suffering wherever it appears, extending concern to all beings without exception.

Compassion in this tradition is not passive sentiment but active engagement. It is expressed through the cultivation of the perfections (pāramitās), beginning with generosity and extending through ethical conduct, patience, and other virtues that concretely benefit others. This active dimension is further refined through skillful means (upāya), the capacity to respond appropriately to the diverse needs and capacities of beings. Emotional warmth alone is not sufficient; compassion is expected to manifest as wise, effective action in the world.

Doctrinally, compassion is regarded as inseparable from wisdom. Genuine compassion is said to arise from insight into emptiness (śūnyatā), the understanding that beings and phenomena lack fixed, independent essence. This insight undermines self-centeredness and allows concern for others to flow more freely, while at the same time guarding compassion from becoming blind attachment. Conversely, wisdom that is not suffused with compassion is considered incomplete, for it lacks the impulse to translate understanding into the liberation of others. In Mahāyāna, the full flowering of the path is found where profound insight and boundless compassion are perfectly united.