IN THE MANY LINEAGES of the buddhadharma, there are thousands of expositions articulating the inseparability of emptiness, selfless compassion, and skillful action. Why is this teaching important? Because bodhicitta—the mind of compassion–emptiness—is the driving force that brings us to the path of awakening.
Bodhicitta is sometimes called our “way-seeking mind.” It is the motivation to awaken for the benefit of others, to liberate all beings drowning in the ocean of samsara. It is the basis of all Mahayana Buddhist practices. It arises as the aspiration to engage in generous, patient, wise, and effective activity, as defined by the paramitas. Walking the path to complete realization fulfills this deep desire for universal liberation, what Suzuki Roshi called our “inmost request.”
TWO PATHS TO THE DHARMA
Traditionally, taking refuge in the path of dharma includes two aspects: “what has been said” and “what has been realized.”
Engaging the first aspect, what has been said, means gratefully receiving what has been handed down to us through oral teachings and texts. This includes sutras, commentaries, wise sayings, and practice instructions. The second aspect, what has been realized, arises from taking the teachings to heart—drawing them into our direct experience and realizing the loving-kindness and luminous wisdom found beyond mere words.
Sometimes this unspoken realization is said to be
