This is the Dalai Lama quote of the week from Snow Lion Publications. A nice quote on cultivating Bodhisattva mind toward our fellow human beings.
Dalai Lama Quote of the Week
The best kind of attitude is, having reflected on the fate of sentient beings, to think: I cannot bear to see the suffering of sentient beings even for one more moment. If such an anxious mind is induced by this motivation, that is the best type of attitude. On the other hand, if you think: I must achieve buddhahood as quickly as possible so that I can enjoy a blissful state, your force of mind will not be very strong. Compared to the latter motivation, cultivating the determination to achieve buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings even if you might have to undergo practices for three incalculable eons...appears more courageous. Bodhisattvas who accumulate merits for the first incalculable eon during the paths of accumulation and preparation, for the second during the first bodhisattva grounds and for the third during the last three grounds are really very courageous. They have such strong determination and resolve! Nagarjuna's Ratnavali explains how the bodhisattvas accumulate the merits necessary for the achievement of the major and minor noble marks of a buddha, and how even to achieve one hair of a pore of a buddha's body requires great stores of merit. If you reflect on these facts you will find them really inconceivable.
...reflect on the necessity of accumulating merits for incalculable eons. If doing so causes you to feel discouraged, it is helpful to reflect on the fact that such an accumulation can be achieved within a short period of time through tantric practices. It is also helpful to contemplate on the buddha nature that is inherent within everyone, and also that the buddhas are actively engaged in helping us. In Buddhism, many techniques are taught, from many different perspectives, and these should be incorporated into your practice. In order to tame our rough minds, it is necessary to seek an approach through all possible avenues. Here the generation of bodhichitta should be very forceful, with a very courageous mind.
~ From The Union of Bliss and Emptiness: Teachings on the Practice of Guru Yoga by the Dalai Lama, translated by Thupten Jinpa, published by Snow Lion Publications.
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