This session is a wrap up of the first chapter of Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, quoting the last two verses and overviewing the qualities and characteristics of the bodhimind and the ways of practice to move closer to it.

Any virtue is a cause for our future happiness, and thinking of the ultimate benefit of all beings is the greatest virtue possible. On the other hand, just thinking of our own happiness alone actually brings us the opposite and just wanting to be free of trouble for ourselves often gets us more of the...
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Having the wish to not only help all beings without exception, but leading them to the ultimate joy of enlightenment is the most powerful beneficial mind possible. But if we can’t conceive of attaining that ourselves, how could we wish it for others? This shows the power of motivation. Enlightenment does not come accidentally, without...
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The “venturing mind”, the bodhimind that not only wishes to become enlightened for the benefit of all beings, but also acts on it in daily conduct through the Six Transcendental Activities, produces non-stop merit day and night, even when sleeping or relaxing. Giving, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, concentration and wisdom pervade the life of a bodhisattva,...
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Genuine bodhimind produces merit that will only grow and never be exhausted before it’s intended goal, the liberation of all beings, is achieved. That kind of merit is like a perennial fruit tree that provides a harvest every year, whereas any samsaric good karma is exhausted immediately when it ripens. On the flip side, this...
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The precious bodhimind is like a gold-making elixir in that whatever you do with this ultimate compassionate motivation becomes hugely beneficial, also it becomes the foundation to purify our ordinary samsaric body into the pure form body of a Buddha. Wisdom is the cause for the Dharmakaya, or Buddha’s mind and compassion-related activities becoming merit...
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Following Shantideva’s timeless verse 10, Chapter 1 of Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, this is a discussion about what it means to be a “Child of the Awakened Ones”, upon realizing the bodhimind, or “Awakening Mind.” The distinction between Awakened Ones and Awakening Mind is instructive regarding the process one needs to go through on the...
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This session is further exploring the possibility to develop the Awakening or “Bodhi-“ Mind. Is it a realistic or even desirable goal? Being so beyond the ordinary scope of likes and dislikes this mind would never arise accidentally but needs to be carefully cultivated. Stepping stones are not excluding anyone from “all beings” and focusing...
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While the definition is easy to verbalize: “For the sake of others wanting to attain full enlightenment”, it is not easy to wrap our head around the possibility of striving for perfect happiness for all beings. This discussion is exploring if it is possible at all the attain such an enlightened state, what are its...
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Verse 6 of chapter 1 of the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life tells us that virtue is “perpetually feeble” – and we do in fact have many negativities in our life. At the core of our negativities is a self-centered mind, fearfully and possessively trying to control everything around. Does that really lead to happiness? What...
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