Bodhicitta is a mind in which all one’s natural sensations, emotions, thoughts, intentions, speech and actions are directed at the benefit of others with the full knowledge that there is an inter-dependence between every human creature and nature itself.
It is a mind that knows that there is intense suffering in this world of the senses and detects an internal and natural impulse to dedicate itself to the full Awakening of its own true nature and that of others.
Bodhicitta is often called the ‘Wish Fulfilling Jewel’, because like a magic jewel, if correctly used, it can bring true happiness, compassion, benevolent love and bliss when there are correct attitudes, intentions, actions and equanimity.
Bodhicitta is the part of the essential, universal nature of all human creatures.
This most pure thought is the wish and the will to bring all sentient beings to the realisation of their highest potential, which is awakening. It is the wish that all be relieved of suffering and that all may achieve a natural and correct happiness.
The Bodhisattva sees the crystal clear purity of the Buddha nature that exists in each of us, and by recognising the majesty of our human potential, always has respect for everyone.
Bodhicitta is not false happiness. It is the gladness that arises in the true happiness of others. Bodhichitta is not false compassion that is ruled by the mind, it is the compassion which does not feel empathy, or pity or sadness, but the joy that each person being helped can by his own efforts reach Awakening. It is not false love, but a benevolent love which has not a grain of selfishness, not an element of domination and not an ioto of egoism which permits the dependence of others.
Bodhicitta is not judgmental, nor does it build expectations. Indeed to the contrary it is rich in true equanimity avoiding an intellectual indifference.
Bodhichitta is free from Dual Thoughts. There is neither good nor bad. There is only the natural and correct that is free of the mind and the slavery of words.
Bodhicitta, however, is not a doctrine, it is a state of mind. There is no ritual or ceremony involved all comes from the heart, which is the pure mind.
Bodhichitta starts with correct attention and the lightest subtle energy, but the body is energized. Slowly natural Bodhichitta arises and the true Bodhisattva is awakened. It generates an inner experience which appears completely individual, but it is not, for just as Suffering is Universal, Gladness, Compassion and Benevolent Love are also Universal.
Bodhichitta is not worn like a medal and few may be aware of its presence. Likewise a Bodhisattva walks among all without being recognized.
Bodhichitta knows no mental bounds it arises in he who is Theravadin, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Tien Tai or Chan. It has no color nor limitations. It has no age. It arises in every human creature who recognizes its presence and has the courage to reach inside and liberate it.
The Bodhisattva walks through the shadows, of the
valley of Mara, hearing the cries of false happiness and suffering without apprehension, for Bodhichitta is with him.
Just as there are two basic levels of being a Bodhisattva, there are two levels of bodhichitta:
(1) The of aspiration level
(2) The engaged level
The Aspiration of bodhichitta:
This is the sincere and complete wish to overcome our own visceral, emotional and mental impediments to realise our full potentials to bring all fellow beings to the Awakened state.
It arises in two stages
1) The initial sincere impulse to become a Bodhisattva, awakening all that is natural, to benefit all sentient beings.
2) The natural development of a sincere spoken or unspoken pledge never to abandon this aim until it is achieved.
The Engagement of bodhichitta
This means that after taking or internalizing this natural Bodhisattva pledge the person engages in the practices and behaviour that bring about refined and excellent Bodhichitta and restrains from all attitudes, intentions and actions detrimental to it.
The Daily Reinforcement of Bodhichitta
1) Each day and evening recall and understand the advantages of bodhicitta motivation.
2) Reaffirm and intensify this motivation by re-dedicating (three times day and evening) the pure mind to your own Awakening and that of others.
3) Each day strive to build up positive mental states and a deep awareness and develop the subtle wisdom and meditation that leads to Awakening.
4) Each day benefit and help others using all the skills and means at our disposal, as effectively as you can, and do so with as much deep awareness of reality as is possible, understanding that one is not helping an individual, but helping in each action every sentient creature. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
5) Maintain the constant wish to do so, no matter how difficult the task is and refrain from judging the person who is to be helped. It is essential to understand that the root Buddha Nature of one is the nature of all.
6) See that there is potential Bodhichitta in every single intention no matter how small it may be.
THE ASPIRATION OF BODHICHITTA
Let us advance now with a clearer focus on The Aspiration of bodhichitta:
This is the sincere and complete wish to overcome our own visceral, emotional and mental impediments to realise our full potentials to bring all fellow beings to the Awakened state.
What are these visceral, emotional and mental impediments?
The visceral impediments are rooted in Identity interference in the natural operation of Sensation. Sensation if all is without impediment has a really simple task of comparing everything that enters the system, every irritation, with prior received stimulae to see if it has been received before. If it has, of course that is valuable information. If it has not then the system continues to pay attention to the irritation to see if there is peril or advantage in its presence.
Clearly a new stimulus may not be identical to one in memory, but it may be similer. The natural system then has a range of acceptable differences posted and anything within that range is considered sufficiently well matched to be considered as experienced before. You can see that that is a marvelous process. It is called in psychology Recognition.
But what happens when Identity gets in on the act? Identity narrows the range of acceptance to benefit its own desires. You can see therefore that few stimulae will be accepted as “safe”. The consequence is for the human so inflicted constant external attention and resultant mental agitation which we call “anxiety”.
A person dominated by this type of affliction is called Confused. He is an infernal Demon of Confusion and Doubts. You cn see that a mind agitated with constant anxiety and confusion will not be a perfect generator of the correct Intentions and accompanying Compassion.
What about the Emotional impediments? They are rooted in Discrimination. The natural task of Discrimination is to generate a fisiological affect or joining with the irritation or a retreat from contact. There can, of course be a neutrality. These three are naturally in the best interest of the human creature.
But when Identity once more enters its ugly head the “affect” is converted into “likes or desires”; the “retreat” is converted in “dislike or hatred” and the neutral state in an “intellectual indifference”. You can see there is little room there for any of the natural processes that generate experiences of gladness, compassion or benevolent affect. A person dominted by Identity of this type is called Greedy and in more descriptive words “a Hungry Ghost”.
It is the Mind, of course, which transforms these two Identity impediments, within Volition, into thousands of potencial impediments with subtle behavioural differences.
We said that the Aspiration arises in two stages.
The first is the initial sincere impulse to become a Bodhisattva, awakening all that is natural, to benefit all sentient beings.
Now why would one do that ?
The second is the natural development of a sincere spoken or unspoken pledge never to abandon this aim until it is achieved.
Now why would one do that ?
We said that the Aspiration arises in two stages.
The first is the initial sincere impulse to become a Bodhisattva, awakening all that is natural, to benefit all sentient beings.
Now why would one do that?
The clave en the question is the word “sincere”.
It is to be in conformity with what one believes. If one believes in error that a thing is correct then acts upon that impulse then the action is sincere.
ASs a result of social brainwashing over thousands of years spiritual groups have installed the idea of virtue which includes the idea of Compassion, Benevolent Love and Benevolence in action. As a consequence the normally encountered responses in Buddhism in terms of these are based upon this social idea and the reigning force is the Super Ego.
The idea of being a Bodhisattva appeals to this sense of the ideal, but the Super Ego, no important how noble the “should” impulse is, is in opposition to Ego and Id.
From the point of Buddha dharma that is alright. Te way in which the battle is resolved is by reigning in the opposition. “REFRAIN EGO and YO”, that is the battle cry of elementary Bodhichitta If this is achieved well, then the natural voice of the Life Force is heard.
This life force urges the development of INTENTIONS that are consistent with the development and nurture of the tribe, if it is not inconsistent with the development of one’s own potential development and nurture.
Here we have your two questions for this lesson. There may be many reasons. evaluate them all and see which appears to you to be the most effective and give your reasons why others are not.
The second is the natural development of a sincere spoken or unspoken pledge never to abandon this aim until it is achieved.
Now why would one do that?
Once again the key word is sincere. In this case it is applied to the idea of never abandoning the path. That does not mean that one cannot fall away. It means that if one falls one will return once more to the correct path.
Now this is a pledge, not a promise or a resolution and that means a FULL COMMITMENT. That is not easy to do. It cannot ever be made by the mind and that is the trouble here, for a Commitmnent cannot ever be made without a full understanding of what is entailed. It cannot be made with romantic ideas. It can only be made with clear comprehension of the sacrifices nvolved. There has to be no second order resolutions it must be given with the idea that any sacrifice, except doing harm to one’s own mind and body, will be made. That is why it is said that it must be a natural DEVELOPMENT.
Just as there are two basic levels of being a Bodhisattva, there are two levels of bodhichitta:
(1) The of aspiration level
(2) The engaged level
The Engagement of bodhichitta:
This means that after taking or internalizing this natural Bodhisattva pledge the person engages in the practices and behaviour that bring about refined and excellent Bodhichitta and restrains from all attitudes, intentions and actions detrimental to it.
The Daily Reinforcement of Bodhichitta
1) Each day and evening recall and understand the advantages of bodhicitta motivation.
Question
What is it that you actually recall and understand?
2) Reaffirm and intensify this motivation by re-dedicating (three times day and evening) the pure mind to your own Awakening and that of others.
Question
Explain this re dedicating
3) Each day strive to build up positive mental states and a deep awareness and develop the subtle wisdom and meditation that leads to Awakening.
Questions
What is this deep awareness and subtle wisdom?
What meditation leads to awareness?
4) Each day benefit and help others using all the skills and means at our disposal, as effectively as you can, and do so with as much deep awareness of reality as is possible, understanding that one is not helping an individual, but helping in each action every sentient creature. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Question
What is this deep awareness of reality?
5) Maintain the constant wish to do so, no matter how difficult the task is and refrain from judging the person who is to be helped. It is essential to understand that the root Buddha Nature of one is the nature of all.
Question
What does this mean?
6) See that there is potential Bodhichitta in every single intention no matter how small it may be.