The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step

Bodhicitta

We are all bodhisattvas, doing our best

“A bodhisattva doesn’t have to be perfect. Anyone who is aware of what is happening and who tries to wake up other people is a bodhisattva. We are all bodhisattvas, doing our best.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

February 13, 2024 | Categories: Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, Practice, Zen | Leave a comment

Those who are generally goodhearted have fewer health problems than those who are selfish

“Scientists in America tested groups of people and found that those who are generally goodhearted have fewer health problems than those who are selfish. A generous person is less uptight and less likely to get worried about their own comfort or possessions, and of course, this means their life will be happier and easier. I sometimes suggest to students to try to live two days with the thought of bodhicitta, only thinking of others, and then two days only thinking of themselves, and then check which of the two days was happier and more fruitful. Generally, our health depends on our attitude to life. One way of thinking makes the body and mind sick; the other way of thinking, having a positive attitude, makes the body and mind healthy.”
– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

June 10, 2023 | Categories: Bodhicitta, Gratitude, Zen | Leave a comment

What precisely is bodhicitta

What precisely is bodhicitta? It is the mind strongly characterized by the aspiration, “For the sake of all sentient beings I must attain the state of full enlightenment.” While it’s easy to repeat these words to ourselves, bodhicitta is much deeper than that. It is a quality we cultivate systematically within our mind. Merely holding the thought “I must attain enlightenment for the sake of benefiting others” in mind without first cultivating its prerequisite causes, stages and basic foundations will not give birth to bodhicitta. For this reason, the venerable Atisha once asked, “Do you know anybody with bodhicitta not born from meditation on love and compassion?”
– Ling Rinpoche
With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes

August 12, 2022 | Categories: Bodhicitta, Zen | Leave a comment

Wishing happiness for those who have hurt you

Every one of us has been hurt by people we have cared for, and although we may insist we have forgotten all about it, we rarely have. To help ease any lingering pain, visualize them in the place of honour, and as you arouse bodhichitta, wish them everything that is good. If thinking about them continues to be painful, it is a sign that you have not let go of feeling they have wronged you. Try not to focus on it. Instead, admit to yourself that you are still holding on to your pain. Then concentrate on wishing them every happiness and long to take all their sufferings on yourself. And do bear in mind that for those who are really serious about practicing the dharma, difficult relationships provide the most fertile ground for practice.

– Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

from the book “Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices”

With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes

January 13, 2019 | Categories: Bodhicitta, Zen | Leave a comment

The result of learning, contemplation, and meditation

The result of learning, contemplation, and meditation should be a steady and real increase in the love and compassion of bodhicitta, together with a steady and real diminution of ego-clinging and negative thinking.

– Patrul Rinpoche

Bodhicitta: Enlightened mind

August 10, 2018 | Categories: Bodhicitta, Tibetan Buddhism | Leave a comment