Bodhichitta

(caring for others more than oneself).

There are Two aspects to Bodhchitta: Absolute and Relative.

Absolute bodhichitta corresponds to Emptiness.

Relative bodhichitta corresponds to Compassion.

 Bodhi means our ‘enlightened essence’ and chitta means ‘heart’ or ‘mind’. Bodhichitta is translated as ‘the heart of enlightened mind’. Arousing bodhichitta is: for the sake of others.

 Relative bodhichitta is the compassionate wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings and to train in the methods to achieve that aim.

Absolute bodhichitta is the direct insight into the absolute nature of things.

This may seem strange, but Absolute Bodhichitta has to come before Relative Bodhichitta!

Chogyam Trungpa:

“Compassion automatically invites you to relate with people, because you no longer regard people as a drain on your energy. They recharge your energy, because in the process of relating with them you acknowledge your wealth, your richness. So, if you have difficult tasks to preform, such as dealing with people or life situations, you do not feel you are running out of resources. Each time you are faced with a difficult task, it presents itself as a delightful opportunity to demonstrate your riches, your wealth. There is no feeling of poverty at all in this approach to life.”