If you're interested in the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, you've surely heard the term "bodhichitta." It's supposed to be the aspiration behind all of our dharma practice -- but what does it actually mean?

"Bodhichitta" (also spelled bodhicitta) means the aspiration to wake up fully (i.e., realize our buddhahood or "become enlightened") in order to help everyone else wake up, too. The practices we do with this motivation might look similar to what we'd do if we just wanted more happiness in our lives: cultivating mindfulness and compassion, for example.

But if we're practicing not just to alleviate our own unhappiness but ultimately to alleviate everyone else's, too, we can find more motivation to keep going when practice gets tough.

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