“7. For many aeons deeply pondering,
The mighty sages saw its benefits,
Whereby unnumbered multitudes
Are brought with ease and to supreme joy”
Past Buddhas and bodhisattvas have thought deeply on the subject of mind and how it affects both the individual and the world around them. Bodhichitta has such profound effects, it can be seen to both enhance the individual practicing, as well as those around. Bodhichitta allows one to see and experience the world more clearly, thereby allowing compassionate thoughts to lead to compassionate communication, which is always helpful between people.
This also helps eliminate misunderstanding, inhibits venomous speech caused by fear or anger, and allows the softness of one’s heart to guide thought, speech and action. All of which helps strengthen bodhichitta within the person practicing, and helps the world around them by eliminating (or at least, softening) the unnerving energies of fear and anger which often plague our communication.
When we communicate without bodhichitta, often our hearts close down and harden. This is a protection mechanism trying to keep us safe from what is perceived to be potential emotional harm. But much like the stress response to non threatening modern day issues like being stuck in traffic, this response of closing the heart happens even when the situation in non threatening.
An example is when we discuss politics in America. Most of the time when we Americans discuss politics, it is either with someone who completely agrees with our point of view, or with someone who completely disagrees with our point of view.
In the former case, we are open and energized and compliment one another in ideas. In the latter case, however, we tend to close down, our hearts harden as we go to battle for what we believe to be the correct way of political thinking. Instead of listening to the other person’s point of view, we try to edge in our own point of view in order to dismiss theirs. We state statistics or examples to prove ourselves right, in an attempt to force them into the “reasonable” way of thinking – our own.
By practicing bodhichitta, we would be able to keep our opinions and ideas, but we could also keep our hearts open and see things from another perspective. We would be able to understand another person’s point of view, even while keeping our own thoughts and views on the matter.
Bodhichitta allows us to see the myriad human experiences and how they connect us all. It allows us to dance with these ideas and connections, rather than trudge through life with an emotional machete, hacking and slashing our way through the jungles of life.
*All quoted text is from The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva from Shambala Classics