The meaning of Empathy!

Once my father told me this story about a hindu saint called Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was going in a boat with two other people. One person was whipping the other person. When Ramakrishna Paramahamsa watched it marks of being whipped appeared on his back. He was not being whipped but he empathized with the person being whipped so much that he felt every whip on himself. This is true empathy, my father said. I hope you have a lovely day!