Comparative Approaches to Compassion: Understanding Nonviolence in World Religions and Politics

Description

Ramin Jahanbegloo develops the concept of compassion as a practical and ethical response to the problems of today’s world. Examining the power of compassion through the lens of multiple world religions, he explores ahimsa in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism and neighbourly love in Christianity, before synthesizing the two concepts in the Gandhian theory of non-violence and its impact on Muslim and Christian thinkers such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Martin Luther King, Jr. Jahanbegloo considers the idea of a compassionate civilization based on the nonviolent democratic theory put forward by Gandhi with Swaraj, and completed by Martin Luther King, Jr. with the Beloved Community. By scrutinizing compassion in various religious and ethical traditions and exploring the relevance of homo fragilis, Jahanbegloo’s comparative approach enriches our understanding of nonviolence as a universal philosophy and practice for the 21st century. He shows that nonviolence is not only a mode of thinking and a way of life, but also a powerful strategy of social and political transformation. Cover Contents Introduction: Human Fragility and Compassion 1 Ahimsa in Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism: A Compassionate View of Life 2 Love and Compassion in Christianity: From Jesus Christ to Thomas Merton 3 Mahatma Gandhi: Compassionate Citizenship and Feminization of Politics 4 The Twin Heritage of Gandhian Nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan 5 Toward a Compassionate Civilization: From Swaraj to The Beloved Community 6 Nelson Mandela: Common Humanity and Ethics of Empathy Conclusion: Spiritualizing Compassion and Nonviolence Notes Bibliography Index