A good heart is the source of all happiness, says His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and we can all be good-hearted with some effort. But better still, he says, is to have bodhichitta—a good heart imbued with wisdom. Anyone who has good thoughts, who does a lot to help others, and who leaves behind good memories is respected by people all over the world, regardless of whether they [...]
Turn Your Thinking Upside Down
We base our lives on seeking happiness and avoiding suffering, but the best thing we can do for ourselves—and for the planet—is to turn this whole way of thinking upside down. Pema Chödrön shows us Buddhism’s radical side. On a very basic level all beings think that they should be happy. When life becomes difficult or painful, we feel that something has gone wrong. This [...]
Developing the Mind of Great Capacity
A teaching on practices to generate bodhichitta by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. From one point of view, personal liberation without freeing others is selfish and unfair, because all sentient beings also have the natural right and desire to be free of suffering. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to engage in the practice of the stages of the path of the highest [...]
Going at Our Own Pace on the Path of Meditation
Our mind is like hard ground that has not seen water for a long time, says Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. As meditation practitioners, we begin to till that ground so that we can grow the mind of enlightenment. The Buddhist teachings are as vast as you can possibly imagine—and beyond that. At some point you might think you understand, but the reality is that the teachings are [...]
Bodhichitta: The Excellence of Awakened Heart
The mind of enlightenment, called bodhichitta, is always available, in pain as well as in joy. Pema Chödrön lays out how to cultivate this soft spot of bravery and kindness. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. -Antoine de Saint Exupéry When I was about six years old I received the essential bodhichitta [...]
The Basic Principle of Bodhicitta
Relative bodhicitta is how we learn to love each other and ourselves, according to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The basic principle of ultimate bodhicitta is to rest in the fundamental state of consciousness, before it is divided into ‘I and ‘other.' Generosity is self-existing openness, complete openness. The ultimate principle of the awakened heart is based on developing [...]
The Heart of the Buddha
Forget all the fancy meditation practices, says His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the real heart of Buddhism is complete commitment to others. In this commentary on The Way of the Bodhisattva, he describes the awakened heart of the Buddha, which is his vow to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. In his famed text The Way of the Bodhisattva, Shantideva states [...]
A Bodhicitta Practice
Pema Chödrön offers a method for generating love and compassion for all human beings. The best way to begin this practice is by thinking of a person whose suffering you feel strongly and whose happiness is very important to you. This could be someone you know or have known, or someone you've seen on the street or read about in the newspaper. The thought of certain people [...]
The Great Reversal
Putting others first—it’s the great switch that changes everything. It cuts samsara at the root and plants the seed of enlightenment. Sakyong Mipham on how to be a bodhisattva. The Mahayana Buddhist tradition is defined by the supreme thought of bodhichitta, the intention to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment. Those who vow to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of [...]
The Supreme Thought
The intention to benefit all sentient beings is the best of all thoughts, says Sakyong Mipham. Dedicating ourselves to others, we become bodhisattvas. At the core of the Mahayana Buddhist teachings is the crown jewel of bodhichitta, the intention to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment. This is the supreme thought, the highest possible concept that the mind can generate. [...]