The Bodhicitta starts as a methodology to karmically connect you with your own enlightenment. The mind absorbs what it comes into contact with and most people forget to even think about giving rise to enlightenment. When a teacher says, “Give rise to Bodhicitta,” that means to give rise to the enlightened precepts within your mind. By doing this you arouse enlightenment within your system and connect your personal identity to this enlightenment.
The Bodhicitta gives you the ability to come into contact fearlessly with both the positive and negative sides of yourself. As the karma unfolds, there will be a lot of negative stuff that comes out of you—lust, greed, jealousy, anger, envy. As these dark angels of past karmas are released they will haunt you. It’s important not to recatch that virus as they are released. It’s so easy to become lost in the maelstrom of your own unfoldment.
You must keep the idea of the Bodhicitta high in your heart and bright in your mind. It is the rising sun, the flag of victory going up on the hill, a point of rally. It is one of the tricks to staying on the path with unwavering attention as your karmas unfold.
