Texts on loving-kindness, compassion, and heart-felt love for others fall into four groups. First we have general admonitions to kindness, benevolence, and gentleness. Next come passages which recommend loving-kindness and mercy as superior to ritual observances. Third are passages which stress the impartiality and universality of the heart of mercy; it transcends considerations of family, race, nationality, or religion. Love that naturally develops between members of a family should be extended to embrace all beings. Among the texts gathered here is Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan; also a text from the Upanishads on the Voice of Thunder, who utters three "Da's" to describe the three interrelated virtues of self-control, giving, and compassion. Simply amazing to see, they all seem to come from the same source, same ONE god.

"...those who believe, and enjoin patience, (constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion, such are the Companions (of paradise) Quran 90: 17-18.

Those who do not abandon mercy will not be abandoned by me. Shinto. Oracle of the Kami of Itsukushima

Love covers a multitude of sins. Christianity. 1 Peter 4.8

Mencius said, "'Benevolence' means 'man.' When these two are conjoined, the result is 'the Way.'" Confucianism. Mencius VII.B.16

Have benevolence towards all living beings, joy at the sight of the virtuous, compassion and sympathy for the afflicted, and tolerance towards the indolent and ill-behaved. Jainism. Tattvarthasutra 7.11

God enjoins justice, kindness, and charity to one's kindred, and forbids indecency, abomination, and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed. Islam. Qur'an 16.90

The world stands upon three things: upon the Law, upon worship, and upon showing kindness. Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 1.2

Treat people in such a way and live amongst them in such a manner that if you die they will weep over you; alive they crave for your company. Islam  Nahjul Balagha, Saying 9

What sort of religion can it be without compassion? You need to show compassion to all living beings. Compassion is the root of all religious faiths. Hinduism. Basavanna, Vachana 247

Let him be cordial in all his ways and refined in conduct; filled thereby with joy, he will make an end of ill. Buddhism. Dhammapada 368, 376

Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai said, "Go forth and see which is the good way to which a man should cleave." Rabbi Eliezar said, "A good eye"; Rabbi Joshua said, "A good friend"; Rabbi Jose said, "A good neighbor"; Rabbi Simeon said, "One who foresees the fruit of an action"; Rabbi Elazar said, "A good heart." Thereupon he said to them, "I approve the words of Elazar ben Arach, rather than your words, for in his words yours are included." Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 2.13

Monks, whatsoever grounds there be for good works undertaken with a view to [favorable] rebirth, all of them are not worth one-sixteenth part of that goodwill which is the heart's release; goodwill alone, which is the heart's release, shines and burns and flashes forth in surpassing them Buddhism. Itivuttaka 19

And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and the disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'" Christianity. Matthew 9.10-13

Once, as Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai was coming forth from Jerusalem, Rabbi Joshua followed after him and beheld the Temple in ruins. "Woe unto us," Rabbi Joshua cried, "that this, the place where the iniquities of Israel were atoned for, is laid waste!"

"My son," Rabbi Yohanan said to him, "be not grieved. We have another atonement as effective as this. And what is it? It is acts of loving-kindness, kindness, as it is said, 'For I desire mercy and not sacrifice' [Hosea 6.6]." Judaism. Talmud, Abot de Rabbi Nathan 6

Anas and 'Abdullah reported God's Messenger as saying, "All [human] creatures are God's children, and those dearest to God are those who treat His children kindly." Islam. Hadith of Baihaqi

Do not rebuke an older man but exhort him as you would a father; treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, all in purity. Christianity. 1 Timothy 5.1-2

A man once asked the Prophet what was the best thing in Islam, and the latter replied, "It is to feed the hungry and to give the greeting of peace both to those one knows and to those one does not know." Islam. Hadith of Bukhari

The bodhisattva should adopt the same attitude towards all beings, his mind should be even towards all beings, he should not handle others with an uneven mind, but with a mind which is friendly, well-disposed, helpful, free from aversions avoiding harm and hurts, he should handle others as if they were his mother, father, son, or daughter. As a savior of all beings should a bodhisattva behave towards all beings. So should he train him- self if he wants to know full enlightenment. Buddhism. Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 321-22

The threefold offspring of Prajapati--gods, men, and demons--dwelt with their father Prajapati as students of sacred knowledge. Having lived the life of a student of sacred knowledge, the gods said, "Speak to us, sir." To them then he spoke this syllable, "Da." "Did you understand?" "We did understand," said they. "You said to us, 'Restrain yourselves (damyata).'" "Yes (Om)!" said he. "You did understand." So then the men said to him, "Speak to us, sir." To them he spoke this syllable, "Da." "Did you understand?" "We did understand," said they. "You said to us, 'Give (datta).'" "Yes (Om)!" said he. "You did understand." So then the demons said to him, "Speak to us, sir." To them he spoke this syllable, "Da." "Did you understand?" "We did understand," said they. "You said to us, 'Be compassionate (dayadhvam).'" "Yes (Om)!" said he. "You did understand." The same thing does the divine voice here, thunder, repeat, Da! Da! Da! that is, restrain yourselves, give, be compassionate. One should practice this same triad, self-restraint, giving, compassion. Hinduism. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.2: The Voice of Thunder

Luke 10.25-37: This parable is both a lesson on universal compassion and a warning against self-righteousness on the part of religious people. 'My neighbor' means the man half-dead on the road, whom the priest passed by on the other side because of the ritual prohibition against touching a dead body: this recalls the controversy over healing on the sabbath, see Matthew 12.9-14, p. 744; also Hitachi Fudoki, p. 862. Such concern for ritual purity must yield before the demand for compassion. Then it is the Samaritan, long despised as a heretic by right-thinking Jews, who properly shows mercy and fulfills the Law, while the priest and Levite, who were respected religious leaders, did not. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.2: Cf. Matthew 22.36-40, p. 159n.

Quran 4:19 "O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.