Bodhichitta: Practice for a Meaningful Life

An accessible, inspiring book on one of the most important topics in Tibetan Buddhism, written by one of its renowned masters, who has an international following of thousands.
Bodhichitta is a Sanskrit word meaning “the mind of enlightenment” or “the awakening mind”—the mind that wishes to achieve enlightenment in order to lead all other beings into that same state. It is the attitude of the bodhisattva, of the person who makes the compassionate vow to save others from suffering. In this book, the renowned teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche shows us how to achieve it.
First, Lama Zopa gives a clear and comprehensive explanation of bodhichitta, its benefits, and its importance to the path. Then, he walks us through the two main methods for achieving bodhichitta: the seven points of cause and effect, and equalizing and exchanging self and others. Finally, the book closes with meditation instructions to guide and strengthen our practice.
Readers will find Bodhichitta to be a comprehensive guide to this core Buddhist principle, one rich in both accessible philosophical explanation and concrete advice for practitioners.
Review
"Drawing on Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and Khunu Rinpoche’s Jewel Lamp, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives us a comprehensive and detailed primer on how to develop bodhicitta, that most precious heart-wish to benefit all other beings. Techniques for actualizing genuine bodhicitta—the seven points of cause and effect and exchanging self and others (which concludes with the tonglen practice of “taking and giving”)—are described fully and masterfully in this veritable guidebook to the complete Buddhist path. This is the book we have been waiting for!" (―Jan Willis, author of Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist)
About the Author
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is one of the most internationally renowned masters of Tibetan Buddhism, working and teaching ceaselessly on almost every continent. He is the spiritual director and cofounder of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international network of Buddhist projects, including monasteries in six countries and meditation centers in over thirty; health and nutrition clinics, and clinics specializing in the treatment of leprosy and polio; as well as hospices, schools, publishing activities, and prison outreach projects worldwide.