Mercy (慈悲)
27 X 22cm in Standard Script (楷書)
Historical Information
The Buddhist concept of “慈悲 (Mercy)” is well-known in East Asian societies (1). Buddhist “Mercy (慈悲)” can be translated as "Loving-kindness" or "Mettā (慈) and Karuṇā (悲)". Mettā and Karuṇā are both profound and sophisticated concepts. For further discussion, please see here.
Christianity also espouses “Mercy”:
- "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mathew 5:7).
Mercy is an important characteristic of God, for "Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy"(2).
In Confucianism, the concept of “Mercy” can be traced back to Mencius's (孟子, 372 – 289 BC) assertion that "the feeling of commiseration is innate to all human beings (惻隱之心，人皆有之)" (3). Mencius reasoned "each one of us has a mind that cannot bear to see the sufferings of others (人皆有不忍人之心)" and that "if one sees a child about to fall into a well, each and everyone will feel compassionate (ie. be merciful) towards saving the child (今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心)" (4).
Text translation
Mercy (慈悲)
This calligraphic work was scribed in celebration of The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (Dec.8, 2015 - Nov.20, 2016), which was announced by Pope Francis on March 13, 2015.
The Pope would like to remind Catholics that "Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life", and that "Perhaps we have long since forgotten how to show and live the way of mercy", and so "It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters"(5).
Jump to: Poetry and Others