If conceptual bodhicitta does not penetrate deeply into our mental continuum, it can easily be appropriated by self-grasping, giving rise to many hidden pitfalls. Bodhicitta is originally the means by which we accumulate immeasurable merit. To use something so sublime as a vehicle for creating unwholesome karma is an unprofitable exchange. No truly wise person would do such a thing; only someone lacking genuine wisdom would.
Once we recognize our own foolishness, why not become a little wiser? We often speak of a vidyādhara—a "knowledge-holder." But what does knowledge truly mean? At the very least, it means possessing genuine wisdom. Failing to arouse genuine bodhicitta is not wisdom.
In the eyes of the world, a "clever" person is often someone who is skillfully self-serving—someone who advances by stepping on others. But if you truly understand bodhicitta, you will feel compassion rather than admiration for such a person. You will see that they are profoundly foolish, exhausting all their ingenuity merely to forge a great cauldron for themselves in the hell realms—a place from which escape is exceedingly difficult.
The suffering of the hell realms is beyond all comparison; no language can adequately describe it. If you truly believe in karma and its results, then you should also believe that the hell realms truly exist. They are not somewhere far away—but right within our own minds.
The workings of karmic cause and effect are both subtle and uncompromising. Suppose a person has committed only relatively minor wrongdoing. For a day or two after death, they may not even realize they have died. They wander about, puzzled that no one responds when they speak.
Gradually, they come to realize that they are dead, and feelings of despair and terror begin to arise. Then one day, while trying to put on a pair of trousers, they suddenly notice that the foot they stretch out has become a chicken's claw. Looking down, they discover that they themselves have become a chicken, and they are overwhelmed with disappointment.
But after another few days, even that disappointment fades away. At first, the worms scattered across the ground seem disgusting. Before long, however, they begin to look delicious, until eventually one finds oneself spending every day chasing after them. Unfortunately, one has truly become a chicken. Yet even this is considered a relatively fortunate karmic result. Far more painful rebirths begin the very instant one opens one's eyes to find oneself surrounded by blazing fire or unbearable ice, without even a moment to comprehend what has happened.
At present, we are still alive. We possess this exceedingly precious human birth and enjoy comparatively favorable circumstances. Therefore, our foremost priority should be to practice the Dharma and sincerely take to heart the aspiration: "For the benefit of all sentient beings, I vow to attain Buddhahood." Do not wait until it is too late before taking practice seriously. By the time the consequences of karma fully mature, regret will accomplish nothing. Countless other beings in the world are far less fortunate than we are. Even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas long to rescue them, yet without the necessary causes and conditions, even they cannot do so.
Conceptual bodhicitta alone is seldom sufficient to withstand adversity. But once genuine bodhicitta has truly arisen, we no longer become discouraged by difficult circumstances. Sometimes, we may even experience a profound sense of happiness amidst suffering—something that is difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. When hardship arises, we remind ourselves that it is simply the ripening of our own past karma. And when others become the cause of our suffering, we respond with compassion, knowing that they themselves are creating the causes for painful rebirth in the hell realms.
According to our former way of thinking, sentient beings ought to be grateful to bodhisattvas. Yet in The Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva), we find precisely the opposite: bodhisattvas are grateful to sentient beings. A true bodhisattva sees the suffering of sentient beings as the very condition that gives rise to compassion and awakens bodhicitta, thereby enabling the path to Buddhahood. This is the greatness of a bodhisattva. And whenever our hearts genuinely rejoice in the happiness of sentient beings as though it were our own, at that very moment, we too are practicing as bodhisattvas.
—Excerpted and adapted from Genuine Bodhicitta and Conceptual Bodhicitta.
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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