Spiritual practice need not be complicated. What truly matters is taking bodhicitta to heart. Years ago, a Dharma friend repeatedly sent me text messages claiming that he had realized enlightenment. I could only smile, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Then one day, he sent me a different message: “I am willing to sacrifice everything for the benefit of all sentient beings.” Those words moved me deeply. Whether this aspiration was completely genuine at that moment was not the most important point. Once such a thought has arisen, if one continues to nurture it, it will gradually become genuine.
As ordinary beings, we inevitably deceive ourselves from time to time. This is simply the condition of ordinary beings. We are not yet masters of our own minds or mindstream, and we cannot direct them according to our wishes. This is indeed a pitiable state. Yet even within such a vulnerable condition, if someone can still give rise to the sincere wish to benefit others, that aspiration is beyond measure in its preciousness. By gradually taking that aspiration to heart, such a person enters the path of a bodhisattva. And one who has truly become a bodhisattva will inevitably attain liberation.
People often say that realizing śūnyatā (emptiness) is extremely difficult. Without bodhicitta, of course it is.When self-clinging towers like a mountain and we cannot even recognize it within ourselves, how could genuine impartiality ever arise? The two are fundamentally incompatible. As Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has taught, the essence of emptiness is impartiality.
The equality cultivated through bodhicitta does not mean treating every sentient being in exactly the same outward manner. Guided by prajñā (wisdom), bodhicitta responds to different beings in different ways according to their circumstances and needs. The essential point is to examine our own hearts: Do we truly regard every sentient being as our own mother from a previous life?
Perhaps some people's mothers did not treat them well, as our age is filled with many painful and unusual circumstances. Nevertheless, we should reflect that no matter how difficult or harmful a person may appear to be now, that being has undoubtedly, in one lifetime or even many lifetimes, loved us just as deeply as we love the people closest to our hearts. We should repeatedly cultivate this contemplation while reflecting upon it in light of the sūtras, śāstras, and the instructions of our masters. In particular, whenever we encounter someone who causes us irritation, resentment, or dislike, this is precisely the moment when we should apply this practice.
For example, I love my daughter more than anything else and would willingly sacrifice everything for her. Whenever someone mistreats me or causes me to become angry, I remind myself:“This person must have loved me in many previous lives with the same love that I now have for my daughter. For my sake, they may even have created negative karma, just as parents often do for the sake of their children, without even fearing the karmic consequences.” Such is the nature of a parent's love.
Once, I had a conversation with a well-known Dharma teacher on the internet. I mentioned that we should not kill mosquitoes, but he replied that he would still do so if it were for the sake of his daughter. Such is the powerful attachment and love that parents may have for their children. In fact, every person around us—and every sentient being we encounter in this world—may once have loved us in exactly the same way.
Why should we train our minds in this way? First, because this is the truth. From the perspective of the Buddhadharma, every sentient being has been our mother countless times throughout beginningless saṃsāra. Each has cared for us, protected us, and shown us kindness beyond measure. Second, because this contemplation gradually weakens our anger and resentment. As we repeatedly remember the kindness of others throughout countless lifetimes, our hostility naturally begins to diminish. This training is of the utmost importance. It is far more important than the teachings on emptiness that I will discuss in the coming days.
—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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