Merely possessing conceptual bodhicitta is not enough to cope with either favorable or adverse circumstances in life. What does it mean to be unable to cope with favorable circumstances? When things are going well, one easily becomes arrogant. Moreover, this arrogance is often cloaked in a very appealing guise, presenting itself outwardly as confidence and success.
If one does not frequently examine oneself with great care, one may unknowingly be creating negative karma and planting the seeds for rebirth in the hell realms. Favorable circumstances are deeply deceptive; at times, they can be even more harmful than adversity. In times of hardship, however, suffering naturally inclines people toward spiritual practice.
Therefore, I hope none of you become overly eager to be admired or respected by others. Outward glory often conceals real danger. Those with long-term vision and subtle introspection will ask themselves: Is all this admiration actually preparing the great cauldron of hell for me?
Some fellow practitioners now serve as facilitators in Bodhi study groups. This is an excellent thing and creates great merit. Yet they should also examine themselves carefully: Am I doing this out of bodhicitta, or am I doing them for the sake of the reverent gaze that others cast upon me? Without such self-examination, then that is merely false cleverness, and it will ultimately harm oneself.
Conceptual bodhicitta was originally cultivated to counteract, restrain, and ultimately eliminate self-grasping. In itself, this is a wholesome practice. However, it cannot adequately deal with the situations just described. Once it is exploited by self-grasping, that powerful yet deeply concealed force will create many attractive disguises, making its harm especially profound.
Since you have chosen to study Mahāyāna Buddhism, you must take it seriously and engage in this kind of careful self-observation. We often imagine ourselves entering the practice of Dzogchen, effortlessly abiding without conceptual thought, where everything is seen as the spontaneous display of the nature of reality . Such a state is indeed sublime. But without even the foundation of bodhicitta, it is almost impossible to genuinely enter the path of Dzogchen.
Nor can conceptual bodhicitta adequately deal with adversity. Once serious difficulties arise, it simply cannot withstand the pressure. One either collapses or falls into discouragement, tormented by suffering to despair, lacking the confidence and resilience that a Mahāyāna practitioner should possess.
By contrast, if one's mind has long been imbued with the aspiration to benefit sentient beings, it gradually becomes vast and resilient, yet at the same time gentle and tender. Such a person remains steadfast in the face of hardship, while treating all living beings with great kindness. Even that gentleness is infused with wisdom. How marvelous such a state is!
When genuine and powerful bodhicitta is truly aroused, its transformative effects naturally manifest within one's mental continuum. Once these effects arise, doubt gradually disappears, and letting go of self-centeredness becomes entirely natural, because it no longer feels like a painful sacrifice.
The mind itself is actually quite simple—it seeks happiness. The reason it is driven by self-grasping is that self-grasping appears to provide immediate gratification. For example, when overwhelmed by anger, knocking someone to the ground with a punch may produce a fleeting sense of satisfaction. This is why, under the sway of intense hatred, people have even coined slogans such as, "Knock him to the ground, put a foot on him, and make sure he never rises again."
The mind fails to realize that seeking one's own pleasure by creating suffering for others, under the influence of self-grasping, is in fact planting the causes for even greater suffering for oneself. By the time one truly understands this, it is often already too late.
—Excerpted and adapted 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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