- The state of mind that emergence from the combination of acceptance, forgiveness and hope. As a relationship, it is hallmarked by the capacity to simultaneously accept someone (self or other) exactly as they are in the present, forgive their past, and sustain [glossaryhope[/glossary] for their future.
- A state of mind hallmarked by an investment in the lessening of someone’s suffering.
Note that (at least as it is used in this work) compassion is not a sentiment or a feeling. It is a state of mind that supports optimizing the quality of the choices generated by that mind and thereby, the efficacy in its pursuit of happiness.