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"'Idiot compassion'", in the words of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is "the highly conceptualized idea that you want to do good". It refers to the tendency of spiritual practitioners (particularly Buddhists) to give people what they ''want'' as opposed to what they ''need'', all in the name of being nice and compassionate.
Complimenting someone's poor artwork in order not to hurt their feelings, rather than expressing your true opinion and helping them grow, would be an example of idiot compassion. In this case, the truly compassionate action is to help the other person understand what they did right, and what they need to improve - even though this may leave them feeling hurt and dejected for days or even weeks. However, application of this form of compassion should be carefully evaluated and calibrated given each circumstance, and should not be applied to inflict damage indirectly. An example of Idiot compassion could include those who would enable an individual or group with a temporary solution to their problem, in order to give them what they want instead of having the courage, insight, or other, to do what is necessary to help the individual or group in the long run.
The phrase was first used by Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and is sometimes used in Buddhist circles. It is used extensively by Ken Wilber and practitioners of his Integral philosophy, as well as by spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen.

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See also

External links

See also

★ Compassion

★ Vice

★ Virtue

External links

★ Pema Chodron: Q&A on Idiot Compassion

★ Idiot Compassion, Idiot Humility by Mark Sigal