There is a neurological basis for compassion as well. In the 1980s, Italian scientist Giacomo Rizzolatti and his colleagues discovered a class of brain cells called "mirror neurons." Extensive research since that time has shown that through our mirror neurons, we actually feel the emotions, movements, and intentions of others. Researchers describe this natural empathy as part of the social brain, a neural circuitry that connects us intimately in every human encounter.
In Buddhist psychology, compassion is not a struggle or a sacrifice. Within our body, compassion is natural and intuitive. We don't think, "Oh, my poor toe or finger is hurt, maybe I should help it." As soon as it is injured, we instantly respond because it is a part of us. Through meditation, we gradually open the boundaries of our consciousness to compassion for all beings, as if they were part of our family. We learn that even when our compassion is lost through fear and trauma, it can be reawakened. Faced with a crying child in a burning house, a hardened criminal is as likely as anyone else to take the risk of rescuing her. We all have moments when the openness and beauty of our Buddha nature shines.
— Jack Kornfield, The Wise Heart