My argument will focus on the compassion component in Buddhist thought. I will provide evidence to support my argument that practicing and experiencing compassion can improve the lives of those who do not care about attaining Buddhahood through ways to improve health, well-being and personal motivation. Fernquest, Jon. “Buddhism in British Prisons.” Bangkok Post, April 13. 2013: printed. This report consists of extracts from a conversation by a British Buddhist, Luang Por Khemadhammo. Khemadhammo looked past the differences between the prisoners and himself and saw the similarities that exist. By showing compassion, he was able to interact with the prisoners, which ultimately led him to decide to teach Buddhism to the inmates. He tells some stories about how some of the most dangerous men in prison began to show compassion to others through Buddhist teachings, just like how Buddha, through his compassion, was able to transform a wicked man without use force. I will use this interview with Khemadhammo to show how the Buddhist teaching of compassion can improve the lives of those who may have caused and are currently experiencing samsara. It also shows how powerful compassion can be, as it has the ability to change people and open them to more compassionate and kind behavior. Fink, Charles K. “Buddhism, Punishment and Reconciliation.” Journal of Buddha Ethics, 19. (2012): Print. Compassion entails an improbability of committing crimes. This published essay describes problems with the justice system in how it deals with criminals. It is subdivided into three themes: alternatives to punishment, understanding the nature of harm, reconciliation and a section of Buddhist teachings. I will... middle of paper ... lives of those who may lack compassion due to circumstances or their situation. The young people targeted by this article are young people placed in foster care, which can lead them to experience multiple psychosocial difficulties due to the high rate of maltreatment. Results show that higher frequency of compassion practice was associated with increased hope and decreased generalized anxiety. Their results also indicate that participants found cognitive compassion training to be helpful in coping with daily life stressors. The evidence presented in this article will help strengthen my argument because it provides optimistic results for the application of this type of compassion training to help people improve their quality of life. It specifically demonstrates that practicing compassion can act as a way to feel better and, in turn, encourage one to pursue a better life..