May Bodhicitta Arise in Everyone’s Heart
The practice of Bodhicitta is essential for the achievement of supreme wisdom or enlightenment. So as a daily practice, make this aspiration every morning when you wake up: “May Bodhicitta arise in those in whom it has not yet arisen and continue to increase in those in whom it already has.”
Whether you have a belief or not, the practice of Bodhicitta is very crucial. No matter what kind of knowledge or skills you learn, without Bodhicitta, it won’t bring benefits to yourself or society. So the practice of Bodhicitta is of great importance.
Without a doubt, everyone in this room is very intelligent, and I hope you can continuously study Buddhism. The Buddha has taught us that every living being, including small creatures such as ants, needs our love. When we reflect on this idea deeply, we have this question of how we can really benefit them. It’s the necessary thinking and question we must tackle in this present day and age.
In Tibetan Buddhism, relying on spiritual masters is very important. A spiritual master should be qualified with noble virtues and high wisdom. Among these attributes, an altruistic mind is the most important criteria. Although Bodhicitta practice has numerous methods, I’ll stop here and conclude my talk with a stanza of Shantideva:
Sublime and precious Bodhicitta,
May it arise in those in whom it has not arisen;
May it never decline where it has arisen,
But go on increasing further and further.
Bodhicitta is like a wish-fulfilling jewel, may it arise in whom it has not arisen and go on increasing in whom it already has. With this stanza, I aspire for you all to arouse Bodhicitta.
