A
very good Friend quite wisely asked:

Question:
>I've often seen you translate
karunā as
"pity,"
but isn't pity actually the near enemy of
karunā?
Answer:
Friend your good question exemplifies a common
misconception and
non-recognition of a mixed state...Since it depends how you define and
thus understand
“Pity” as a mixed state, or
in itself as a pure state!
In itself
Pure Pity
=
Karunā
is defined as:
Pity
originally means 'feeling the other being's pain', or "sympathy"
and
"empathy".
However only IF
mixed with egoism it gets more unsympathetic
connotations of feeling of “own” superiority
based on conscious, or even
unconscious lack of respect of the
sufferer's
dignity, who is now seen as
“inferior”.
However this evil does not come from pity itself, which
is a pure
compassion for the plight of the sufferer,
but from the often unseen and
overlooked aspect of
mixed-in impurities of the EGO-conceit “I am Better”!
Since for to say or think, even
subconsciously, “I am Better” there
have to
be present the mistaken belief
in a non-existent Ego = The conceit
that “I am”
=
asmi-māna...
Needless to say has this arrogant, inflated, and pride-pumped
“I”-dentification
and “self”-deception nothing whatsoever to do with
fellow
feelings for another being's suffering, though it
can often subconsciously
be mixed with it and thus
polluting this in itself very advantageous pure
pity.

Moreover regarding
karunā especially as "Buddhist Pity":
To deliver it one has to know
it's cause! What is the cause of fine pity
arising?
It is seeing and reflecting upon the
helplessness of beings trapped in
Samsara..
There is no “sorrow” or “sadness” in this state as it is
based on understanding
of cause and effect.
From the
The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga):
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/PathofPurification2011.pdf
“One whose meditation subject is pity should arouse
compassion for any
[evil-doing] person
even if he now is happy: “Though this poor wretch is now
happy, cheerful, enjoying his wealth, still for lack of even one single good
deed done now in
by any of the 3 doors of intentional behaviour
(speaking,
thinking, or acting) he will
come to experience
untold future suffering in the
downfall states of loss...”
The effect of cultivating pity (karunā)
is complete
elimination of cruelty, and
thus the cruel kammic future effects
thereof.
Cut short:
A Noble Person feels empathy and pity for
all beings in
Samsara due to
understanding of the inherent
dangers in that Samsaric trap for anyone
without
understanding of the 4 Noble Truths, but he does
not feel sorrow
or sadness on that account! If he did,
then Pity (Karunā or Compassion)
would not be an advantageous
(kusala) mental state promoting happiness,
which is the
sole purpose of training this mental state in the first place!
Podcast on Compassionate Pity
(Karunā):
https://soundcloud.com/bhikkhu-samahita/compassionatepitykaruna


More on Pity
(Karunā = Compassion):
Karunā_is_Pity,
Space_Compassion,
Safe_Medicine,
Great_Compassion,
Compassionate_Pity,
What_is_Wrong,
How_to_Cure_Cruelty_and_Revengefulness
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pity