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This study explored the essence of compassion experience using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted on eight participants. The findings were organized into three core themes, seven essential themes, and 16 sub-themes. The first core theme was ‘the experience of compassion in the face of suffering’ which included the essential themes ‘orientation towards the suffering beings’ and ‘compassion from experience of love and suffering.’ The second core theme was ‘awareness of the interconnectedness between self and others,’ which included the essential themes ‘exchanges of suffering without separating self and others’ and ‘connection and disconnection of self and others.’ The last core theme, ‘reflections for healthy compassion,’ included the essential themes ‘meeting the suffering as is,’ ‘the detachment from self-absorptive attitudes,’ and ‘the power to let the sufferer be the subject.’ Finally, the implications and suggestions for future research were discussed.
