The Story: Ripples of Compassion
慈悲漣漪的故事One quiet morning, the Buddha sat with his students beside a still pond. He picked up a single small stone and dropped it into the water. Plip. Where the stone touched the water, a tiny circle appeared （漣漪）.
The little circle grew into a bigger circle, and then a bigger one, spreading out until the gentle ripples reached every edge of the pond. “One small stone,” the Buddha said, “touched the whole pond. Your kindness is like this stone.”
When you help one person who is sad or hurt, that person feels less suffering. Then they are kinder to someone else, and that person is kinder again. Loving-kindness (Mettā) wishes others happiness; compassion (Karuṇā) wishes that no one suffers — and like ripples, even a small act of compassion can change the whole world. Because we are all interconnected, we are one.
Check your understanding
- What did the small stone make in the water? 小石頭在水中造成了什麼？
- How is your kindness like the stone? 你的善意如何像那顆石頭？
- What is the difference between Mettā and Karuṇā? 「慈」與「悲」有什麼不同？