True compassion is not limited or preferential, it is not bound by like and dislike, or by partiality of one over another. True compassion is all-encompassing, like the sky… Imagine that you are giving away to all beings whatever good things may happen to you, however small they may be–even a spoonful of good food; and at the same time, remember the unbearable sufferings that others are going through, and make up your mind to take all those sufferings upon yourself with the same readiness a mother feels when she takes upon herself the suffering of her child. The absolute nature of everything is primordially pure, free of all conditions, and beyond any concepts of existence and non-existence. But within relative truth, self and others, suffering and happiness, manifest in infinite ways. These appearances are devoid of any true existence, yet beings believe them to be true, and thus wander, deluded, in samsara. Everyone wants happiness, but the true way to reach perfect happiness yourself is to bring happiness to others. A poem of spiritual instructions written in fourteenth century Tibet, the thirty-sevenfold practice of a Bodhisattva distills the essence of the teachings of the great vehicle and has inspired generations of practitioners. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s commentary is probably his most extensive recorded teaching on the practice of the Mahayana path. He touches the very heart of these profound instructions, enriching his own illuminating explanations with a wealth of quotes from the great masters of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The remarkable story of the poem’s author, Ngulchu Gyalse Thogme (1295-1369), a Bodhisattva in real life, is also included in this volume in the form of substantial excerpts from his written biography.
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