karuna

Karuṇā, also spelled karuṇā in Pali as karunā, is a Sanskrit term meaning compassion or heartfelt empathy for the suffering of others. The word conveys more than pity; it implies a compassionate response aimed at relieving distress. In English, karuṇā is commonly translated as compassion or mercy. In texts, the term appears as karuṇā in Sanskrit and karunā in Pali, reflecting its widespread use across Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

In Buddhist thought, karuṇā is a central virtue and one of the Brahmavihāras, or four immeasurables, alongside loving-kindness (metta), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha). Karuṇā motivates actions to alleviate the suffering of all beings and is cultivated through ethical conduct and meditation. Formal practices, such as the Tibetan Tonglen exercise, illustrate how practitioners develop karuṇā by visualizing taking on others’ suffering and offering relief in return.

Beyond Buddhism, karuṇā appears as a valued virtue in Hinduism and is acknowledged in Jain and other Indian traditions as a form of universal compassion. In modern usage, the concept also appears in psychology and mindfulness discourse, where karuṇā is discussed as a disposition that supports compassionate, prosocial behavior and relates to empathetic understanding of others’ distress.