Charter for Compassion in Chinese

Charter for Compassion

A Call to Bring the World Together. . .

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others ~ even our enemies ~ is a denial of our common humanity.

We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women

• to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion.
• to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate
• to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures
• to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity
• to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings ~ even those regarded as enemies

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries.

Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

慈悲憲章

爲世界大同的請求...

慈悲乃是所有宗教信仰及倫理道德的核心，感召我們要己所不欲，勿施於人。

慈悲促使我們不懈地減輕眾生之苦，令我們將心中的王位拱手讓人，也促使我們以大公無私的尊重及平等心來對待每個人所具有的尊嚴，別無例外。

同時，我們也必須堅持在公共場合及私人生活中不令他人受傷。基於憤恨、沙文主義或自利的暴力行為及言詞，剝削、利用或拒絕任何人的基本權利，並以詆毀他人來煽動仇恨〜即使是我們的敵人〜也是對人性的否認。

對於我們過去的不慈悲，甚至有些人藉著宗教名義而增長人類的痛苦，我們必須有所認知。

因此，我們呼籲大家

• 恢復慈悲於道德及宗教的核心地位
• 重歸遠古的法則，即任何滋生暴力、仇恨或蔑視的經文詮釋皆是非法的
• 確保青年人所獲取的傳統、宗教及文化訊息皆是準確並具尊重性的
• 積極地鼓勵及讚賞文化及宗教的多元性
• 致力地理解及憐憫眾人之苦〜包括視之為敵者
  
  

在這敵對性的世界，我們極需令慈悲成為一股清澈明亮的動力，基於超越自私的原則及決心，慈悲可以打破政治、教條、意識形態及宗教的界限。

由於人類是根深蒂固地相互依賴著，慈悲是人類關係及人性圓滿的要領。唯有這不可或缺的悟道才能創立公平經濟的社會及世界大同。

Compassion: A Dynamic New Movement?

Seattle, Washington, November 12, 2009 – They came from all over Seattle to witness and affirm the global aim and reach of one woman’s heartfelt wish to reinvigorate the Golden Rule. One hundred people from local religious and peace organizations gathered at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Seattle for the unveiling of the Charter for Compassion. This one page document encourages people of all faiths and nations to restore compassion to the center of morality and religion.

The charter is the “wish” of Karen Armstrong, one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong won the 2008 TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Award which honors “ideas worth spreading.” Armstrong was awarded $100,000 and granted a "wish to change the world.” Her wish was for help in “creating, launching and propagating” an international Charter for Compassion to help restore the Golden Rule as central to religious practice and daily life throughout the world. The principle of Golden Rule is embraced by every faith and by every moral code, religious or otherwise and suggests that we act toward others as we would want them to act toward us.

In response to a polarized, turbulent world which so often stresses differences, the Charter for Compassion is bringing together voices from all cultures, spiritual and faith communities to remind the world that we all share the same core principle of compassion.

More than 150,000 people of all faiths and backgrounds from over 180 countries contributed to the Charter for Compassion. The document was finalized in February 2009 by the Council of Conscience, made up of well recognized, multi-faith religious leaders and thinkers from around the globe.

The Charter states that “compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries” and that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate.” The Charter further notes the importance of teaching youth accurate information about other traditions, faiths and cultures and states that compassion is “indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.”

To date, the Charter for Compassion has been affirmed by over 9,000 people including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and H.M Queen Noor of Jordan. To read and affirm the Charter and see the video of a reading of the Charter, please go to www.charterforcompassion.org

Attendees at last night’s launch in Seattle were asked to practice compassion during a fifty day period following the launch to help create a more compassionate world. Events include the 23rd annual interfaith Thanksgiving service, held on November 22nd (2:30 – 4:00p.m. at St. Patrick, 2702 Broadway E.). The fifty days of compassion will culminate with a walking meditation at Greenlake, in Seattle, on New Year’s Eve. Scheduled events are listed at www.compassionateactionnetwork.com

Partners for the unveiling event at Saint Patrick Catholic Church included: Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach (NICO), and the following organizations that are formal partners for the Charter for Compassion: The Compassionate Listening Project and the Seattle Center for Peace.

About the Ted Award
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an academic organization owned by Sapling Foundation, a private nonprofit foundation. TED was founded in 1984 and is known for its annual conference devoted to "ideas worth spreading" and its lectures, known as TED Talks, which originally focused on technology, entertainment and design, but have now expanded in scope to a broad set of topics including science, arts, politics, education, culture, business, global issues, technology and development. The TED Award is given to three recipients annually. Past recipients include former President, Bill Clinton and entertainer and humanitarian, Bono.

About CAN
The Compassionate Action Network (CAN) is a network of self-organizing groups who share a common vision for a compassionate world. CAN grew out of the April 2008, Seeds of Compassion event in Seattle, which welcomed His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other global luminaries. The purpose of the event was to nurture kindness and compassion in children and all those who touch their lives. For more information about the Compassionate Action Network, please go to www.compassionateactionnetwork.com
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Thank you to all who joined us to make the Seattle Launch of Charter for Compassion a success!

Here are a couple more thoughtful blogposts on the November 12th Launch and the Charter for Compassion.
Lora-Ellen McKinney
Robert V. Taylor

Please share more of your insights, stories, photos, and videos with us!

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