“Taking the bodhisattva vow to help others implies that, instead of holding our own individual territory and defending it tooth and nail, we become open to the world that we are living in. It means we are willing to take on greater responsibility, immense responsibility. In fact, it means taking a big chance. But taking such a chance is not false heroism or personal eccentricity. It is a chance that has been taken in the past by millions of bodhisattvas, enlightened ones, and great teachers. So a tradition of responsibility and openness has been handed down from generation to generation, and now we too are participating in the sanity and dignity of this tradition.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
– via Shambhala Sunspace and Ocean of Dharma, and found in The Pocket Chogyam Trungpa
Thank you for this. What a beautiful quote. I love this sense that we are stepping into a tradition of those who have gone before, and that this is a tradition of love and of expansiveness and of giving one's self over toward the betterment of others and, ultimately, the world.
Posted by: Christianne | March 03, 2010 at 01:23 PM
I was led here (from a RT on twitter)...
I like the implication of lineage.
I struggle with the precepts and Boddhisatva vows, but I think that is the whole idea. If it were easy...
As my Tibetan friends say, it boils down to being kind to all sentient beings and helping them be happy.
You can read more about my journey, my association with the Tibetan community, and more at http://sacredsojourns.blogspot.com
Nice to meet you. Have a blessed day.
Posted by: Tammy~ CrypticFragments | March 23, 2010 at 04:03 AM