Written by Monica Worline, Ph.D.
CompassionLab’s Monica Worline, Ph.D., presented a summary of CompassionLab to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a dialogue devoted to the topic of compassion and ethics in business, co-hosted by Santa Clara University and Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education on Feb. 24, 2014.
In his remarks, His Holiness commented that it is part of the human project to advance the idea of compassion beyond simply a felt concern. Compassion is often defined as an affective state through which we respond to the well-being of others. In the dialogue, His Holiness pointed to research that shows that animals respond to the well-being of others in their groups, showing that an orientation toward others’ well-being is fundamental to the evolved biology of social life. But, the expression of compassion in action — especially for others who are far removed from our kin groups or tribes — is something that human beings can nurture by working together.
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