Although today I am talking about the difference between conceptual bodhicitta and genuine bodhicitta, we should still hold deep reverence for conceptual bodhicitta. In fact, we should feel reverence even toward the three words “bodhicitta” themselves.
I once had an experience like this: one year, a group of Dharma brothers and sisters, and I went to Larung Gar. At that time, we had invited four khenpos—Khenpo Tsültrim Lodrö, Khenpo Sodargye, Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok, and Khenpo Chime Rinpoche—and we were chatting together in a room. One Dharma brother became extremely excited, his face flushed red, and he exclaimed, “I aspire to generate bodhicitta just like you!”
I tend to scrutinize whether other people’s motivation is genuine or not. The moment I looked at it—fake!—I said it straight out. Khenpo Tsültrim Lodrö is a very gentle person. He normally wouldn’t speak to others in a harsh or cutting way. But at that moment, he suddenly turned his head, looked straight at me, and said sternly, “Even what is fake is precious!” That sentence gave me a very deep lesson.
So, although we must distinguish between conceptual bodhicitta and genuine bodhicitta, even if it is “fake,” even if it is merely conceptual bodhicitta (bodhicitta), as Mahāyāna practitioners we have to still hold profoundly deep reverence for the three words “bodhicitta.”
—Excerpted and compiled from Conceptual Bodhicitta and Genuine Bodhicitta
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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