Sun, 31 Oct 2010
Lama Explains Bodhicitta
I gave a talk during this morning's sit at Medicine Buddha Sangha on bodhicitta. I'm going though all the prayers in our prayer book and expaining them and this week's prayer hapened to be the bodhisattva vow. I went back though my notes from Lama Phurbu Tashi's talks and found my notes from a talk on bodhicitta. So here they are:
Bodhicitta in Tibetan is jang chub sem. It means the mind or heart of enlightenment. There are two forms of bodhicitta, conventional and ultimate. Conventional bodhicitta is the aspiration to gain enlightenment for all sentient beings. It is very important and we need to cultivate it from now until we attain enlightenement. However much we cultivate it our practice will be serious and fruitful, and will accumulate merit and eliminate negative emotions. That is why it is important. It is the main highway of the Mahayana. Everything else we employ, virtuous deeds of body, speech and mind are a support for bodhicitta and is related to it.
Ultimate bodhicitta is the wisdom that realizes emptiness. Emptiness is ultimate truth, actual reality, or suchness. Conventional bodhicitta has two categories: aspiration bodhicitta and application bodhicitta.
It is important to recollect the benefits of bodhicitta, it will make you enthusiastic to practice it. Shantideva's book has a very clear explanation of bodhicitta. Every day you should retake the bodhisattva vow. It can be taken without a teacher, by imagining the buddhas and bodhisattvas in front of you in space. Recite the vow three times and think they have blessed you.
Anything can be bodhisattva practice if practiced with bodhicitta motivation. Taking refuge, abandoning the ten non-virtues, meditation, reciting mantras is all bodhisattva practice. Your aspiration to attain enlightenment for all beings makes all practices bodhisattva practice. Even when you are sleeping the merit you have accumulated is compounded. But if you are attached to your merit, that is spiritual materialism. Your merit can be destroyed by anger or strong negative emotions. But if you offer the merit without attachment, it will persist until enlightenment. So every practice has three parts, establishing bodhicitta, the main practice, and dedication.
