Never Lose Heart! Step Forward in Enlightening Cheer
Never lose Heart!
Always be optimistic on your path towards the Spiritual Goal of Enlightenment; everyone of us, wherever we are, is in the presence of BUDDHA NATURE – the very seed which, in due course of time and through encounter with conducive factors, will sprout into a flawless state of Buddha hood. This is an incredible wonder, and a potential source of inspiration and hope with which the mundane qualities can find no space for comparison.
Simply, participate in the ecstatic joy of initiating the Awakening of the BUDDHA NATURE, undoubtedly the greatest gift, so intrinsic with each one of us at all times. Come! Let us all join in this great moment of joy, to awaken our Buddha Nature.
How shall we awaken it, you might well wonder.
Feel joyous over Learning, Contemplation and Meditation. These are the incisive means, our beloved teacher, the Buddha, so compassionately reiterated us to engage in, so as to foster a soaring Wisdom – one that instantly cuts through, any misguided views that hinder our progress on the path towards Buddha hood. This WISDOM is the first of the two most instrumental factors to awaken the Buddha Nature.
What greater gift could possibly be availed of to you than the over-flowing, universal LOVE and COMMPASION. How could any being in the entire galaxy provide you a more joyous satisfaction than the unconditional Love, whose loving arms stretch endlessly to warmly embrace all mother sentient beings? A resounding assurance that, "I am here to absorb your grievances. Do not fear, do not be saddened, for I am always here with you, ready to provide protection and anything else that you may need. Cheer Up! My dear, Cheer up!"
Oh! The great BODDHICITTA – the greatest heart to heart bond with all the mother sentient beings, of which even a single glimpse of experience will cause a waterfall of tears. The inexplicably tight bond which, even at a hair's breadth, knows no separation from even a single mother sentient being. This marvelous quality is the ultimate, indomitable impetus that drives the Wisdom of Emptiness towards the quintessential meaning of Enlightenment as opposed to mere Self-Liberation.
Oh, Bodhicitta, the fabulous ambrosia, which Bodhisattvas - the great children of Buddhas – hold so dear and meticulously engage in. This is the second instrumental factor, to harness and awaken the Buddha nature within us.
Come, Join in the joy and jubilance of embracing the union of BODHICITTA and the harmonious WISDOM of EMPTINESS and DEPENDENT ORIGINATION. Partake in this, the greatest moment of happiness, by intertwining the two most precious and enthralling factors in awakening the BUDDHA NATURE.
Our beloved Buddha assures us:
"In a more profound sense, from the view point of Buddha nature, in no way the sentient beings are inferior to a Buddha."
So always fill your face and heart with ENLIGHTENING CHEER, and step forward in the enduring Bliss of Enlightenment. Help assure solace and serene joy in the hearts of all our kind mother sentient beings by awakening the magnificence of Buddha nature, our true and ultimate inspiration which resides in each one of us at all times.
Never lose heart! Always step forward with Enlightening Cheer!
-by Geshe Dorji Damdul at the request of Lorena Wong, the president of Casa Tibet, Guatemala.
