Implore for the Conferral of the Bodhisattva Vow

assiduous. But if, with good fortune, the genuine bodhicitta arises in our mind, we will not be troubled by most negative things. Sufferings in life that have brought us so much grief and tears are actually caused by a selfish mind that we should feel ashamed of. When we truly give rise to the altruistic bodhicitta, all the agonies in life that we originally thought to be insurmountable will become trivial things and can be dealt with easily.

In other words, we should realize that most suffering in our life is due to the lack of bodhicitta. With bodhicitta arising in our mind, all problems can be simply solved. The pain resulting from selfishness will dissipate if we are motivated by a strong bodhicitta. No matter how devastating these sufferings might be, they are nothing to a man with bodhicitta. Therefore, for each individual, the key to happiness is the generation of bodhicitta. Aware of the abovementioned aspects, we now prepare our minds with great joy and delight.

B. Implore for the Conferral of the Bodhisattva Vow

Next, according to the sadhana, let’s implore the vajra master for the conferral of the bodhisattva vow. Regard the spiritual teacher as the inseparable embodiment of all buddhas and bodhisattvas, and pray to him to grant us a way to keep the lower realms at bay, to show us a way to the higher realms, and to guide us to attain nirvana at last. For this yearning to be actualized, the bodhicitta is indispensable. That’s why we beseech the guru to grant us bodhicitta. I will read the

following stanza excerpted from Maitreya’s Aspiration in Tibetan and you repeat after me.

Please grant me bodhicitta, the heart of awakening, That keeps the lower realms at bay That shows us the way to the higher realms, And leads us to a state beyond aging and death. (x 3)

After three times, the vajra master will answer, “Through countless eons of contemplation and observation, tathagatas of the three times have found out that bodhicitta is the most beneficial practice that no others could surpass.” The vajra master then recites the stanza from The Way of the Bodhisattva:

Since the boundless wisdom of the only guide of beings Perfectly examined and perceived its priceless worth, Those who wish to leave this state of wandering Should hold well to this precious bodhicitta.

Teachers of sentient beings, or tathagatas of the three time, have examined with their pristine wisdom for numberless eons and concluded that the precious bodhicitta is unparalleled in this world. Only by the power of bodhicitta can we liberate boundless sentient beings. This is the answer given by the teacher to approve the conferral.