On the bodhisattva path, compassion (karuṇā) is cultivated as a deliberate, structured training that gradually matures into a spontaneous, universal concern for all beings. A central element is the generation of bodhicitta, the altruistic resolve to attain awakening for the sake of all sentient beings, which is strengthened through formal bodhisattva vows. These vows, expressing the intention to liberate numberless beings, continually reorient the practitioner away from self-centered aims and toward the welfare of others. Contemplation of suffering (duḥkha) plays a crucial role here: by reflecting on the pervasive nature of suffering and its causes, the heart becomes sensitized to the plight of all beings rather than numbed by it. This reflection is not meant to be morbid, but to awaken a deep wish that no being should have to endure such pain.

Meditative practices provide the experiential ground in which compassion takes root and deepens. Loving-kindness (mettā/maitrī) is cultivated first, generating the wish that beings be happy, and then naturally giving rise to compassion, the wish that they be free from suffering. This cultivation is often extended in widening circles: from oneself, to benefactors and friends, to neutral persons, and even to those regarded as enemies, until it embraces all beings without exception. Practices such as tonglen, the meditation of “taking and giving,” further refine this orientation by training the mind to move toward suffering rather than away from it, imaginatively taking on others’ pain and offering them happiness and virtue. In this way, compassion becomes less a fleeting emotion and more a stable disposition.

Analytical contemplations support this transformation by reshaping how self and others are perceived. Reflecting that all beings equally desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering undermines the habitual privileging of one’s own welfare. Methods such as equalizing and exchanging self and others, as taught in the bodhisattva literature, encourage the practitioner to replace self-cherishing with cherishing others. In some traditions, this is reinforced by contemplating that, throughout beginningless existence, all beings have at some point offered care and kindness, like a mother, and therefore deserve gratitude and protection. Such reflections gradually erode rigid boundaries between “self” and “other,” making impartial compassion more natural and less contrived.

Compassion is also cultivated in action through the six perfections (pāramitās), which give it concrete expression in daily life. Generosity (dāna) offers material support, fearlessness, and the Dharma; ethical conduct (śīla) protects others from harm; patience (kṣānti) responds to injury and hostility without retaliation, seeing aggressors as driven by ignorance rather than inherent malice. Energetic effort (vīrya) sustains the resolve to benefit beings, while meditative concentration (dhyāna) stabilizes the mind so that compassionate responses are clear and effective. Wisdom (prajñā), particularly insight into emptiness and interdependence, ensures that compassion is not entangled in possessiveness or discouragement, since there is no fixed, separate self who gives, receives, or acts. As these practices mature, compassion evolves from a conventional empathy into great compassion (mahākaruṇā), the effortless, boundless concern characteristic of advanced bodhisattvas, who dedicate their entire path to the liberation of all sentient beings.