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In Buddhism, 'bodhicitta' (Ch. 菩提心, ''pudixin'', Jp. ''bodaishin'') is the wish to attain complete enlightenment (that is, Buddhahood) in order to be of benefit to all sentient beings -- beings who are trapped in cyclic existence (samsāra) and have not yet reached Buddhahood. One who has bodhicitta as the primary motivation for all of their activities is called a bodhisattva.
Bodhicitta may be divided into:

• Relative Bodhicitta, in which the practitioner works to free all beings from bondage and suffering.
  
• Absolute, or ultimate, Bodhicitta, in which the practitioner clearly sees that the bondage and suffering are illusory and never existed in the first place.
  

Some bodhicitta practices emphasize the absolute (e.g. vipassana); others emphasize the relative (e.g. metta), but both aspects are essential in any practice. The creative tension between the relative and absolute aspects of Bodhicitta is an important part of many Mahayana practices, including in particular the Tibetan Mind Training practices of tonglen and lojong.
Etymologically, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit words bodhi and citta. Bodhi means 'awakening', or 'enlightenment'. Citta may be translated as 'mind' or 'spirit'. Bodhicitta can therefore be translated as 'mind of enlightenment' or 'spirit of awakening'.

Contents

Significance

Cultivation

Notes

References

External links

Significance

Bodhicitta is what distinguishes Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna (or tantric) Buddhism from the Hinayāna schools. In Hinayāna Buddhism, the goal of Buddhist practice is primarily for an individual to escape from samsāra without aspiring to be reborn infinite numbers of times to liberate all those other beings still trapped in samsāra.
Although Mahāyāna Buddhists tend to consider the Theravāda as a Hinayāna school, there are neverthess bodhisattvas in the Theravāda school as well.Gems of Buddhist Wisdom. Publications of the Buddhist Missionary Society. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1983, page 461-471 The distinction between Mahāyāna and Hinayāna refers to the motivation of the practitioner, not to the name of the particular tradition a practitioner is following.
If the practitioner has bodhicitta as his or her main motivation, that person belongs to the Mahāyāna. If, by contrast, the practitioner's main goal is personal (rather than collective) escape from samsāra, then that practitioner falls within the category of the Hinayāna. Thus, despite whatever teachings they hear, there can be practitioners in a Mahāyāna school who practice solely for the sake of their own liberation; and there can likewise be practitioners in a Hinayāna school who develop bodhicitta.
According to the Theravāda school, only a select few are able to attain Buddhahood (or complete enlightenment). Followers of the Mahāyāna, on the other hand, believe that the attainment of Buddhahood is not only possible by all sentient beings, but inevitable. The Mahāyāna teaches that even those who have initially chosen personal liberation from samsāra through the Hinayāna will be awakened eventually by Buddhas and entreated to develop bodhicitta and become fully enlightened in order to help liberate all sentient beings.
From a Mahāyāna point of view, bodhicitta is the best possible motivation one can have for any action, whether it be working in one's vocation, teaching others, or even making an incense offering. The Six Perfections (Pāramitās) of Buddhism only become true "perfections" when they are done with the motivation of bodhicitta. Thus, the action of giving (Skt. dāna) can be done in a mundane sense, or it can be a Pāramitā if it is conjoined with bodhicitta.
From the Mahāyāna point of view, the best motivation one can adopt from the outset of one's practice of Buddhism is the broader motivation of achieving one's own enlightenment ''in order to help all sentient beings'' (bodhicitta) rather than the more narrow motivation of escaping samsāra only for onesself.

Cultivation

It is important to understand that bodhicitta generally does not arise spontaneously within the minds of sentient beings but must be cultivated intentionally through meditative contemplation. Cultivation of bodhicitta is the hallmark of the Mahāyāna and is considered to be one of the most difficult aspects of the path to complete enlightenment. Any teaching or activity cannot be held to be a genuine Mahāyāna activity unless it is conjoined with at least a ''contrived'' bodhicitta. Practitioners of the Mahāyāna make it their primary goal to go beyond contrived forms of bodhicitta and to develop a genuine, ''uncontrived'' bodhicitta which remains within their mindstreams continuously without having to rely on conscious effort.
Tibetan Mahāyāna teachings hold that there are two methods by which one may cultivate uncontrived bodhicitta: (1) through the ''Seven Fold Cause-and-Effect'' method and (2) by ''Exchanging Self with Others''. These two methods are explained in detail (along with a method for combining them) in Pabongka Rinpoche's seminal work ''Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand''.

Notes

References

★ White, Kenneth R. 2005. ''The Role of Bodhicitta in Buddhist Enlightenment.'' New York : The Edwin Mellen Press. [includes translations of the following: Bodhicitta-sastra, Benkemmitsu-nikyoron, Sammaya-kaijo]

★ Lampert, K.(2005); ''Traditions of Compassion: From Religious Duty to Social Activism''. Palgrave-Macmillan

★ ''Steps on the Path to Enlightenment.'' Vol. 1. Geshe Lhundub Sopa w/ David Pratt. 2004

★ ''An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics.'' Peter Harvey. 2000

★ ''Entering the Path of Enlightenment: The Bodhicaryavatara of the Buddhist Poet Santideva.'' (Translation) Marion L. Matics. 1970

★ ''The World of Tibetan Buddhism.'' The Dalai Lama. 1995

★ ''Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.'' John Powers. 1995

★ ''A Guide to the Buddhist Path.'' Sangharakshita. 1990

External links

★ Compassion and Bodhicitta

★ Bodhicitta.net

★ The Bodhisattva in Buddhism by Walpola Rahula Thera - German language