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| Bodhichitta |
Bodhichitta is the most altruistic of all minds, the ultimate and most noble quality a human being can aspire to. Literally meaning, the thought, or mind of enlightenment, Bodhichitta (bodhicitta as it is more correctly known in Sanskrit) – is that finest of all spiritual aspirations, the unshakeable determination to become fully enlightened for the sake of all other beings, even at the cost of putting oneself last.
As the great Indian master Shantideva said, “For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide, to dispel the misery of the world. May all the pains of living creatures ripen solely on myself, and through the might of the Bodhisattva sangha, may all beings experience happiness.”
Unlike in other religious practices where the goal is for the person to reach a heavenly state free of suffering for ever, the bodhisattva – the Buddhist practitioner who has developed a strong intention motivated by great compassion to attain enlightenment for others sake – has taken a vow to postpone his or her own full enlightenment until all other beings have been freed first. This is an unbelievable act of self sacrifice and is what makes the bodhisattva path so incredible. The compassion and wisdom aspects of bodhichitta, also termed relative and ultimate bodhichitta, need to be developed more or less simultaneously – they are like the two wings of a bird that are needed to fly. Relative bodhichitta can be described in terms of a great compassion which is limitless – a wish that all the sufferings of all sentient beings throughout existence be extinguished forever. Also, that as well as being free of suffering they may attain perfect happiness and peace. This is an unbiased, impartial and immutable desire to help others.
Following from this it is realized that it is not enough simply to have this wish - like an armchair traveler planning to go somewhere – but one has to develop a strong sense of personal responsibility to actually work towards this goal, like a traveler taking the first steps of his journey. Whatever we do in life, the first step is to have an aspiration. If we have an aspiration we will naturally start to work towards fulfilling it. This is why it is considered so important to admire the bodhisattva ideal and to start cultivating it ourselves, as even just the mere thought of such a heroic path is a very strong practice. By taking the bodhisattva vows the practitioner does not suddenly become a bodhisattva, but does have the commitment on their mindstream, expressed in the traditional prayer:
“May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness, may all sentient beings be free from sufferings and the causes of sufferings.”
Ultimate bodhichitta , is wisdom - the experience of ultimate truth, the realization of emptiness and the way things really exist. Wisdom and compassion are closely linked, and as long as we are lacking wisdom our compassion will be incomplete.
The classic text outlining the Bodhisattva path is the Bodhicharyavatara, or Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by the eighth century Indian master Shantideva. This inspires the student to cultivate the Six Perfections that provide the basis for the bodhisattva path – generosity, ethics, patience, effort, meditative concentration, and wisdom. In the whole of the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition there are few treatises more deeply revered than this classic text by Shantideva.
In more modern times one of the masters most praised for a life which embodied the spiritual practice of compassion was Khunu Rinpoche, author of the Jewel Lamp: Verses in Praise of Bodhichitta (published as Vast as the Heavens, Deep as the Sea, Wisdom Publications, 1999). Born in the poor, remote Indian Himalayan region of Kinnaur, into a Drukpa Kagyu family, Tenzin Gyaltsen, or Khunu Rinpoche, was an extremely humble and kind Lama who devoted his life to the development of bodhichitta, and he is revered by Tibetan Buddhists of all schools. Among his many students was the present Dalai Lama, who often refers to Khunu Lama whenever he teaches on bodhichitta and who received the transmission of Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara from him.
Khunu Rinpoche writes from direct experience of a natural feeling of love for others, of cherishing others more than oneself. To quote from the Jewel Lamp:
“Supreme bodhichitta is the wish to remove every flaw from every living being and to bring about limitless good qualities in each of them. This is outstanding even amongst the outstanding.”
“If one investigates to find the supreme method for accomplishing the aims of oneself and others, it comes down to bodhichitta alone. Being certain of this, develop it with joy.”
“If one has bodhichitta as one’s motivation, whatever one does becomes a great vastness of good. From the medicinal root that cures diseases, the medicinal shoots are born.”
“The fact that the more terrible the conditions become for the bodhisattva, the more they serve as an aid to their goodness is, I think, due to bodhichitta.”
“Remember bodhichitta when you feel down, remember bodhichitta when you feel scared, remember bodhichitta when you suffer, remember bodhichitta when you feel joy.”
“Since a Buddha is born from a bodhisattva, and a bodhisattva is born from bodhichitta, intelligent persons understand the greatness of supreme bodhichitta.”
“Even if all the wholesome thoughts of humans were to be gathered together into one, it would not compare with a fraction of bodhichitta.”
“Thinking I am a bodhisattva, do not despise even a bug. It is taught that the supreme ultimate bodhichitta pervades every wandering being.”
“If you do not yank out by the root, this noxious stem of self-interest, how will the lordly wish-fulfilling tree of bodhichitta that delights in altruism ever flourish?”
“Having seen that myself and all wandering beings equal to space want happiness and do not want suffereing, with the awareness that self and other are equal one should meditate on bodhichitta continually.”
“Thinking with bodhichitta that living beings are like one’s father or mother, relatives or friends, wife or child, in every case become absorbed in the notion of joyfully helping them.”
“Due to bodhichitta, the children of the Buddhas look out without partiality at wandering living beings, like a mother looks at her only son, with a gaze of love that comes from the very depth of her being.”
“Having obtained this precious life of freedom, so hard to obtain, having met with the Buddha’s teaching, which is so hard to meet, yet not to hold bodhichitta in the palm of one’s hand, what greater misfortune than that could there be?”
“Strive to fully take up this bodhichitta, the source of every happiness for wandering living beings, as long as existence endures.” Khunu Lama.
According to the traditional view a human life is extremely difficult to find in the great cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. Even on this one planet there are countless millions of tiny insects and creatures, especially in the oceans. Therefore, it is considered foolish to waste this precious human life in frivolous worldly activity. As Shantideva says in the Bodhicharayavatara:
“As when a flash of lightning cleaves the night, and in its glare shows all the dark, black clouds had hid – likewise rarely, through the Buddha’s power virtuous thoughts arise, brief and transient in the world.
See the utter frailty of virtue ! Except the mind of perfect Bodhichitta, there is nothing able to withstand the great and overwhelming strength of evil.”
Because of our past karma, it is very rare and difficult to have a positive mind, while it is all too easy to have negative thoughts, since this is what we have been used to. So we should nurture positive thoughts. It is through this that we develop bodhichitta. There is nothing as powerful as bodhichitta for purifying our negative actions and obscurations, for attaining temporary and ultimate happiness, and for helping others. If we wish to free ourselves and others from the suffering of samsara, then we should develop bodhichitta. Our bodhichitta may not yet be spontaneous. It is still something we have to fabricate for the time being. Nevertheless, once we have embraced and begun to develop this extraordinary attitude, whatever positive actions we do – while not appearing any different than before – will bring greatly increased results. As soon as we do so, its immeasurable qualities are such that, even though we may still appear to be ordinary beings subject to suffering, we will be proclaimed as heirs of the Buddhas, worthy of veneration. The good qualities of even aspiration bodhichitta are immense; how much more so are the qualities of one who has taken the vow. From the moment the vow is taken, whatever a Bodhisattva does, whether walking or sleeping, will create great merit simply through the sheer power of the intention.
The Buddhist concept of merit is really meant to convey the idea of storing up positive energy potential, in the same way for instance as a car with a full tank of petrol will easily drive off. And if there is great merit in merely wanting to relieve just one being of a single discomfort – need one mention the endless benefit of wishing to help innumerable beings and the positive qualities this will pervade the mind with ?
Lama Thubten Yeshe used to say that the best Dharma practice, the most perfect, most substantial, was without doubt the practice of bodhichitta:
“I think it is absolutely essential for us to have loving kindness towards others. Loving kindness is the essence of bodhichitta, the attitude of the bodhisattva. Why is bodhichitta necessary for success in meditation? Because of selfish grasping. If you have good meditation but don’t have bodhichitta, you will grasp at any little experience of bliss: me, me, I want more, more…Also, without bodhichitta it is very difficult to create merit. You create it and immediately destroy it. It’s like clearing a room and an hour later making it dirty again. You make your mind clean, then right away you mess it up. Just doing religious-looking actions isn’t necessarily practicing Dharma. What we have to do is transform our attachment and self-cherishing, and if we haven’t changed our mind in this way, none of the other practices work, doing them is just a joke. Dharma means a complete change of attitude – that’s what really brings you inner happiness, that is the true Dharma, not the words you say. Bodhichitta is not the culture of the ego, not the culture of attachment, not the culture of samsara. It is an unbelievable transformation – definite, not wishy, washy.
We are involved in human relations with each other. Why do we sometimes say, ”I love you”, and sometimes, “I hate you”. Where does this up-and-down mind come from? From the self-cherishing thought – a complete lack of bodhichitta. What we are saying is, “I hate you because I’m not getting any satisfaction from you. You hurt me, you don’t give me any pleasure.” That’s the whole thing: I – my ego, my attachment – am not getting satisfaction from you, therefore I hate you. What a joke ! All the difficulties in inter-personal relationships come from not having bodhichitta, not having changed our minds. Our self cherishing thought is the root of all human problems. It makes our lives difficult and miserable. The solution to self cherishing, its antidote, is the mind that is its complete opposite – bodhichitta. The self cherishing mind is only worried about me, me – the self existent I. Bodhichitta substitutes others for self.
It creates space in your mind. Then even if your dearest friend forgets to give you a Christmas present, you don’t mind. “Oh well. This year she didn’t give me my chocolate. It doesn’t matter.” Anyway, your human relationships are not for chocolate, not for sensory pleasures. Something much deeper can come from our being together. The more you are involved with people the more pleasure you will get. Even though some still try to take advantage of you, you understand: “Well, in the past I took advantage of them many times too.” So it doesn’t bother you. Thus bodhichitta is the most perfect way to practise Dharma. With the foundation of bodhichitta you will definitely grow. If you take a proper look deep into your heart you will see that one of the main causes of your dissatisfaction is that you are not helping others as best you can. With a motivation of wanting to help others more you will find more strength and energy to meditate and practice. Also, bodhichitta energy is alchemical. It transforms all your ordinary actions of body, speech and mind – your entire life – into positivity and benefit for others…sometimes we talk too much about enlightenment and things like that. We have a long way to go to such realizations. Just be practical. If you can’t help others, at least don’t give them any harm. As Lama Tsong Khapa said, “when you have bodhichitta all the good things in life are magnetically attracted to you and pour down upon you like rain.” At present all we attract is misfortune because all we have is the self cherishing thought.
“The main thing is to have strong bodhichitta motivation. Even if it comes strongly only once, it is extremely powerful. It is very rare to have this kind of thought. A mere flash is so worthwhile; to have it for a minute, for a day.”
- Lama Thubten Yeshe (from Kopan Meditation Course 1983).
To end on a traditional Tibetan dedication prayer:
“May precious bodhichitta take its birth in those in whom it has not taken birth.
And where it has been born, let it not cease, but swell and increase for ever more.” |
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