From our “soft spot”,we can come to understand the pain & suffering of the world.

Bodhichitta helps us to dance with our struggles between letting go and holding on. To actualize and embody this sense of heart and state of mind, one disengages from the relative snare of habitual ego patterns, solidity, separation, and permanence of self. It in itself, is “selflessness” reaching beyond the confining barriers of ego clinging and selfishness. It is the inherent and natural motivation we feel to alleviate the suffering of ourselves and others… our natural capacity for generosity & kindness.

The central idea here is that we all have a compassionate heart, but many have learned well how to cover it up. Our mindfulness practice- our insight practice helps us to remove this emotional and cognitive veil. It helps us to develop skillful ways to examine and work with our minds and our relationships to direct experience. With the right orientation and attitude, we direct our attention beyond our “ego” limited views, and bring awareness and kindness to our experience of self and others.

A sense of Bodhichitta is acknowledging our pain and suffering, as well as the pain and suffering of others.We see and examine the impersonal nature of our experiences for what they are. We are not defined by them nor constrained by them. From our “soft spot”,we can relate to them openly and non-judgmentally as messengers and as teachers unfolding to bring us knowledge and understanding of the true mystery of our lives.

Living with the inherent essence of bodhichitta,whether apparent or not, inspires a fuller sense of being.With reverence and care,we reach beyond our struggles to a spaciousness of heart and mind that opens our field of possibilities.We become more responsive and less reactive as compassion for “self” and for others helps us to stay with our difficulties even when the pain and discomfort seem somewhat intolerable. Bodhichitta is the root of our fearlessness- our courage- and our determination and devotion to be part of our experience not separate from it.

The only solidity we have is our willingness to be fully engaged by the process of our direct experience without grasping or fleeing- to accept our togetherness- our interconnectedness and our interbeing with one another. Bodhichitta is our common seed that binds us all, and when properly nourished helps to assure the continuation of our species as we are motivated and driven by peace, happiness, and joy. In the face of suffering,we are motivated and driven to liberate those who are tormented and confused by this state of being- and by this state of mind.

Bodhichitta helps open our hearts and minds with the compassionate awareness of allowing things to arise as they genuinely need to unfold. It is our internal resource, that which,we can draw upon to help interrupt our repetitious and habitual nature to be reactionary in difficult and challenging times… to mindlessly act and feel in similar ways over and over again filling our moments with needless confusion and suffering. Bodhichitta helps us to remember ourselves the true nature of ourselves- here and now in the present moment. It is our light that radiates and illuminates so that we may see and feel the truth of “what is” both clearly and directly in our experience moment to moment.

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