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Why do Mahayana teachings say that liberation for one being is connected to liberation for all beings?

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Mahayana Guanyin and attendant bodhisattvas, detail of a painted cave mural, Kansu province, China, early 8th century.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the connection between the liberation of one being and the liberation of all beings is rooted in the philosophical doctrine of emptiness (shunyata).

Mahayana teachings extend the Buddhist concept of "dependent arisal"—which posits that nothing has an independent essence—to all persons and things. Because no individual possesses a permanent, independent "self," there is no fundamental distinction between oneself and others. Consequently, a bodhisattva realizes that their own liberation cannot be separated from the liberation of all other beings.1

This realization is actualized through the practice of compassion (karuna), which serves as the ethical expression of this philosophical insight. By acting for the benefit of all beings without discrimination, the bodhisattva embodies the understanding that all beings are interconnected. Furthermore, because all dualities—such as self and other—are ultimately considered false, the pursuit of awakening is inherently a universal endeavor, aimed at leading all sentient beings toward liberation.123