Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

96 Mercy across religions: a summary of key terms 1 An overview of the concept of mercy across many differ- ent religious traditions is offered by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in a document entitled Cele- brating Mercy with Believers of Other Religions. 2 Below is a summary of these key terms, their meanings never being exactly the same as the word “mercy” in English. The “translations” presented here, in alphabetical order by religion, provide the closest equivalents. Buddhism Where mercy is spoken of, Buddhism advocates karuna , which may be rendered as compassion to those who are grieved. The idea of karuna culminates in the spread- ing of friendliness or love ( metta / maithri ) to all beings. Compassion is the heavy heart one feels when encoun- tering the suffering of others. The enlightened beings – Buddhas, silent Buddhas and arahants – show com- passion to all without discrimination.  Christianity “The Christian tradition lists seven corporal works of mercy and seven spiritual works of mercy.” The first seven are: “To feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to harbour the harbourless, to visit the sick, to ransom the captive, to bury the dead…” The second seven include: “People suffer not only frommate- rial poverty, but from cultural poverty as well…There is also relational poverty, that is, the lack of communication for those who live alone. Not least is spiritual poverty, the empty and ever expanding inner desert, the lack or loss of direction in our lives.” There is also: “Educating the ignorant, giving advice to those who are in doubt, comforting the suffering, correcting sinners, forgiving those who have offended us, putting up with unpleasant people, praying for all…Without mercy, we run the risk of having our society become a wasteland.” 3 Confucianism Confucius’s ideal human virtue was  ren , which has been translated as benevolence, love, or humanity. Confucius was merciful even towards animals. A century later, Men- cius (approx. 389–304 BC) stated that: “The sense of mercy is found in all men”. 4 The book of Mencius highlights how Confucius’s concept of ren includes mercy and compassion.  Hinduism Mercy (compassion) is a core principle of Hinduism (the  Sanatana Dharma ). It is a noble virtue all followers must nurture. In Hindu classical literature, this virtue’s many shades are found in:  daya ,  karuna  and  anu- kampa . Compassion (mercy) is the basis for the Hindu understanding and practice of non-violence ( ahimsa ). Compassion is not feeling sorry for the sufferer as that is marred with condescension; compassion is feeling as one with the sufferer, leading to acts of kindness, mercy and charity in selfless service ( seva ) especially to those in need and in pain. Compassion also extends to animals and explains why most devout Hindus are vegetarians. Islam After professing God’s oneness, the most characteristic qualityattributed toGod is ofHis beingmerciful: “theLord of Mercy” and “the Giver of Mercy” ( rahmân ,  rahîm) . Both terms refer to the mother’s womb ( rahm ), the place and symbol of the greatest mercy. Both terms are men- tioned numerous times in the Qur’an. Except once, all chapters of the Qur’an begin with the word basmala : “In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy.” Muslims always try to start an important activ- ity with this basmala . Muslims are called to be merciful towards other Muslims 5 and other groups that are seen as vulnerable such as orphans, widows, poor beggars and travellers. 6 Muslimmercy also extends to the animal world, as well as to the inanimate world out of respect for the Creator ( al-Khâliq ) and other people. Jainism The Jain Dharma is a religion of compassion ( karuna ), uni- versal love ( maitrı ) and forgiveness ( ksama ). The termmost used to express the concept of mercy is daya which also means compassion, empathy and charity. Jainism uses the word jıva-daya to denote care for and sharing of the gift of knowledge and material well-being with all living beings, tending, protecting and serving them. It strongly advocates respect for life in every form and sharing goods with the needy and suffering. This is why amajority of Jains practice lacto-vegetarianism. Forgiveness ( ksama ) is a strong com- ponent of mercy. The termmost used to eloquently express the concept of mercy is non-violence ( ahimsa ).