Bodhicitta
"[7] According to the Bodhisattvabhumi, the bodhisattva who gives rise to bodhicitta thinks thus: O may I obtain supreme and perfect Enlightenment, promote the good of all beings, and establish them in the final and complete nirvana and in the Buddha-knowledge!
[8] Similarly, in the Ornament of Realization (Abhisamayālaṁkāra), bodhicitta is defined as follows:[9] The arising of the mind [of awakening] is a desire for perfect, complete Bodhi, for the sake of others (Skt.
cittotpādaḥ parārthāya samyaksambodhikāmatā)According to Indian sources, the bodhicitta aspiration provides incalculable merit (such as good rebirths, a weakening of the defilements, increased mindfulness and luck).
When bodhicitta has arisen in him, a wretch, captive in the prison of existence, he is straightway hailed son of the Sugatas [the Buddhas], to be revered in the worlds of gods and men.
Thus, the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi-sūtra states: “Knowing one’s own mind according to reality is BODHI, and bodhicitta is the innately pure mind that is originally existent.”[3] According to the 14th Dalai Lama, bodhicitta is: the aspiration to bring about the welfare of all sentient beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake - is really the distilled essence, the squeeze juice, of all the Buddha's teachings, because ultimately, the Buddha's intention is to lead all sentient beings to perfect enlightenment.
"[14] According to Zoketsu Norman Fischer, bodhicitta is a spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment motivated by great compassion for all sentient beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently existing self.
[15] Fischer adds that bodhicitta, along with the mind of great compassion (mahakaruna), motivates one to attain enlightenment Buddhahood, as quickly as possible and benefit infinite sentient beings through their emanations and other skillful means.
[17] Absolute bodhicitta is the wisdom of shunyata[17] (śunyatā, a Sanskrit term often translated as "emptiness", though the alternatives "vast expanse" or "openness" or "spaciousness" probably convey the idea better to Westerners).
Practitioners of the Mahāyāna make it their primary goal to develop genuine uncontrived bodhicitta, which remains within their mindstreams continuously without having to rely on conscious effort.
This is assisted by numerous methods, contemplation, rituals and meditations, such as: relying on a spiritual friend, taking refuge in the three jewels, and contemplating the defects of samsara (cyclic existence), the benefits of arousing bodhicitta (as well as the downsides of abandoning it), and developing spiritual qualities such as faith (sraddha), mindfulness and wisdom (prajña).
The Bodhisattvabhūmi identifies four primary conditions (adhipatipratyaya) for generating bodhicitta:[22] Another list is provided in Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Bodhisattva Vow (Fa putixinjing lun):[22] According to Ulrich Pagel, numerous Mahāyāna sūtras, like the Bodhisattvapiṭaka, see the arising of bodhicitta (bodhicittotpāda) as an ongoing process which must be constantly refurbished (rather than as a static event which only happens once).
[12] At the outset of his Madhyamakāvatāra, Candrakīrti likens compassion (karuṇā) to a seed, water, and crops, emphasizing its significance at every stage of the bodhisattva’s journey.
Compassion is crucial at the beginning, as it initiates the bodhisattva’s path; in the middle, as it sustains the practitioner and prevents regression into the limited nirvāṇa of an arhat; and at the end, where it manifests as the ceaseless, spontaneous actions of a fully enlightened being for the benefit of others.
A common practice in various Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions is to recite bodhisattva vows and aspiration prayers or chants which help give rise to bodhicitta.
When only realizing Śūnyatā, the practitioner might not benefit others, so the Mahayana path unites emptiness and compassion, this keeps from falling into the two limits and remaining on the middle way.
[28] The Ancient Tibetan school preliminary practice cycle in the Samantabhadra to Longchenpa to Jigme Lingpa's lineage of the Excellent Part to Omniscience: Vast Expanse Heart Essence.
According to Tsongkhapa the seven causes and effects are thus: According to Pabongka Rinpoche the second method consists of the following meditations:[30][31] The practice and realization of bodhicitta are independent of sectarian considerations, since they are fundamentally a part of the human experience.
