‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’ – How Jesus and the Buddha Remind us of the Power of Wisdom and Compassion in Times of Confusion

8 minutes reading time 

‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’ (Luke 23:33 – 34).

As Jesus was about to be crucified he spoke these famous, powerful words. It is hard to find a more potent example of embodied love and compassion – a man asking for forgiveness for those who are just about to kill him. With this statement Jesus didn’t only set a radical example of compassion and unconditional love, but he also showed great wisdom by pointing to the root cause for the immensely brutal actions of his perpetrators: ignorance (“they do not know what they do”). It is not merely his faith which supports Jesus in speaking those words in such an utterly distressing situation – it is also his wisdom, his understanding of ignorance as a major cause of suffering in the world. He recognises that his own crucifixion is an extreme example of an action born of ignorance. His statement shows that his understanding of the cause of this violent act contributes to his strength and commitment to the virtues of love, compassion and non-violence.

How can these words of Jesus inspire us in today’s world, regardless whether we consider ourselves a Christian or not?

Jesus asking for forgiveness for his deluded perpetrators is not by chance one of his most famous,loved statements. He fascinates us through his radical commitment to peace, regardless of the amount of hatred and delusion he finds himself surrounded by. In times of global armament and intensification of views, this statement certainly is a reminder for us to stop and contemplate: Do I only like the idea of peace,in theory, or am I truly committed to it? Are my thoughts, words and actions an expression of my intention for peace? Or do I only like the idea of non-violence as long as it doesn’t cross the boundaries of my comfort zone?

The ideals of love, compassion and non-violence are central to many spiritual traditions. In the teachings of the Buddha, love (Pali: metta) and compassion (karuna) are part of the ‘brahmaviharas’ (‘divine abodes’), alongside sympathetic/appreciative joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha).

The development of these ‘heart qualities’ is a vital part of a spiritual practice which is embodied and alive, rather than merely conceptually understood.

However, there is no friction between developing the heart and using our mental faculties in skilful ways. The cognitive understanding of key concepts acts as a crucial support in this movement of the heart towards the direction of non-harm. As we see in the example of Jesus’ radially compassionate words, his wisdom and understanding contribute to his boundless compassion.

A key concept in Buddhist teachings which, if truly understood, can be a big support in developing heart qualities such as love and compassion is the concept of dependent arising. Jesus’ words and actions express a deep understanding of this concept.

Dependent arising means that everything, whether mental or physical, exists and occurs because of the presence of certain conditions. To put it simply: Everything is dependent on other things. Nothing whatsoever can arise without a cause. The formula the Buddha uses for understanding dependent arising is:

• when this is, that is
• from the arising of this comes the arising of that
• when this is not, that is not
• when this ends, that ends

One might wonder: What relationship does this have to developing a ‘heart quality’ such as compassion?

The answer is fairly simple: Through truly understanding that everything depends on causes and conditions, anger diminishes and compassion increases.

To illustrate this point, bring to mind a person you consider an ‘enemy’, or someone you find rather irritating. Picture them as a baby. Now imagine all the things which must have happened from the point of birth to now to this person to make them ‘what they are’. If we look deeply enough, we will find: somebody who inflicts suffering on others, is always suffering themselves. It is not possible to make others suffer and be a happy human being at the same time. This is not an excuse and certainly not a justification for inflicting harm on others. It does not mean that we should just shrug our shoulders, smile, accept injustice and be ‘nice’ to those who inflict suffering on others, just because we understand that these people must suffer themselves. But as the Buddha said: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” This is what Jesus had understood fully. This is why he embodied love to his last breath. Because he knew it was the only way to overcome hatred. By sacrificing his body he set a shining example and his words do not fail to inspire up to this day.

Embodying love however does not always mean that we must accept everything as it is. It can certainly mean taking action. It can be an act of love to tie one’s body to a tree or glue it onto the road, as modern day climate activists do. The love for this planet expresses itself in grief for the loss of habitats and species and in actions trying to prevent this spiral of loss to escalate further.

It might be too high a goal to ‘love everybody’. For example, to generate the feeling of ‘love’ towards a person who is in charge of an army which is committing genocide might not be realistic – and we can also question whether it is necessary. We can however connect with the energy of love inside us by formulating the wish that all living beings, without exclusions, may be free from harm. The intention of unconditional non – harming might feel more authentic than unconditional love at times, especially if we are new to this kind of practice. This wish can then also find its expression in speaking up when we witness harmful words or acts. Activism is one example of this.

There are of course countless other ways of putting a wholesome intention into action: supporting a vulnerable neighbour, being mindful of what we buy and consume, offering our time and full attention to someone without expecting anything in return, paying attention to the way we speak with each other…The ways human beings can express greed, hatred and ignorance are many. The good news is: so are the ways in which we can express kindness, care and compassion. As Jesus reminds us so powerfully: this capacity does not depend on what everybody else is doing.

We can, as human being, return at any point to listening to the voice of wisdom and compassion inside. The voice which knows: I can always find reasons to justify my anger. But justifying anger and acting accordingly will never lead to more peace, neither inside nor outside myself. This principle applies to me as an individual in the same way as it applies to global conflicts.

The intention to not add any more harm to this world through my actions of body, speech and mind is crucial. It opens the heart to experiencing a kind of love which is not dependent on anybody else’s response, and which we can thus experience at any time, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. If the word ‘love’ seems like too big an ideal for us at times, we can always return to the word ‘non-harm’. The intention of non-harming (others as well as ourselves) provides the fertile compost for the beautiful qualities of the heart to flourish.

When it comes to intentions we have to be very clear about one thing: We can have beautiful intentions, act beautifully and it might lead to a beautiful outcome. But we might have good intentions, act accordingly and it might not make any visible difference, or even lead to something we did not wish to see. In this case, we need to stay very close to our good intention of not doing harm. If we stick to this principle with our intentions, then we can take refuge in that. We can take refuge in appreciating the goodness inherent in our heart, the wish to not cause harm and reduce suffering. And this is all we can aspire to as human beings in this world – the outcome of a situation is never in our hands.

Jesus says: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of god.’

Peacemaking must start in our own hearts and minds. Rejecting parts of ourselves we don’t like does not make them go away. So what is a compassionate response to ourselves, too? To remember: there are many causes and conditions for this experience in myself. “I” might have made a contribution – but am I also seeing everything else which has contributed?

From that place of being peaceful towards ourselves we can work a lot more skilfully towards peace outside of ourselves.

In doing so, let us look into causes and conditions and not forget that our view, too, has been formed by countless causes and conditions. Let us act and speak in ways which are courageous, but which do not demonise ‘the other’ and thus reinforce the storyline of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Because if we do that, we are part of the problem, not the solution.