Many practitioners today find that their practice reaches a plateau. One reason is that their renunciation is not strong enough. Yet the most fundamental and most important reason is insufficient bodhicitta.
To be frank, if one studies the Mahāyāna without cultivating bodhicitta, it would be better to practice the insight meditation of the Theravāda. Many people experience meditative sensations almost immediately through insight meditation. A mind that was previously restless gradually settles down, and by quietly observing themselves, they begin to feel peaceful and at ease. Even the impulse to commit unwholesome actions naturally subsides.
By contrast, the practice of Mahāyāna often does not produce such immediate experiences. As a result, some conclude that the Theravāda represents the "real" Buddha dharma, whereas the Mahāyāna appears lofty and inspiring, yet impractical.
In reality, however, their judgment is based solely on personal experience and pleasant feelings. From the Mahāyāna perspective, they are merely absorbed in the aggregate of formations (saṃskāra-skandha). Although the experience may be comfortable, they have not yet even reached the entrance to the path.
Someone who has genuinely generated Mahāyāna bodhicitta is no longer preoccupied with theirown feelings. What truly matters are your well-being, the well-being of everyone present, and ultimately the well-being of all sentient beings.
The Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa once said: "People often ask me how one can become happy. But I have not had a 'self' for a very long time, so I no longer know what it means for me to be happy. If there were a way for me to make all of you happy, that would be my greatest happiness."
— Excerpted and compiled from Genuine Bodhicitta and Conceptual Bodhicitta
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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