Thich Naht Hanh has described his practice as one that seeks the
cultivation of compassion. Although I had come to that conclusion
about both my own practice and my research agenda before having read
this, it struck me that we might not be talking about the same thing.
What is compassion? What does the word mean to you? What are
essential elements of compassion, and what elements are similar,
tangential, but distinct from compassion?