In Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s teaching, compassion is not an ornament to practice but its very ground and measure. She consistently presents compassion as essential for spiritual development and enlightenment, closely tied to the bodhisattva ideal—the resolve to awaken for the benefit of all beings. Meditation, wisdom, and inner realization are regarded as incomplete if they do not result in greater kindness, openness, and concern for others. Genuine compassion, in this understanding, is universal and unbiased, extending beyond one’s immediate circle to all sentient beings, including those who are difficult or easily overlooked. At the same time, she cautions against a merely sentimental or co‑dependent form of compassion, emphasizing that it must be informed by wisdom rather than driven by ego or attachment. When compassion is joined with insight into the nature of reality, it becomes both stable and far‑reaching, a natural response to the suffering of others rather than a fleeting emotion.

Service, in her vision, is the outward expression of this inner compassion. Spiritual practice is not meant to remain self‑referential; it should overflow into concrete actions that alleviate suffering and support others’ growth. Helping others, especially through education and empowerment, is treated as a form of dharma practice rather than something separate from the path. Her establishment of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery is repeatedly held up as an example of compassionate service: a deliberate effort to provide training, dignity, and opportunity for nuns who had long been marginalized. This work is framed as part of a bodhisattva commitment, showing that deep contemplative practice and active engagement in the world are mutually reinforcing rather than opposed. In this way, compassion and service together become both the motivation and the manifestation of authentic Buddhist practice, revealing whether inner cultivation has truly taken root.