Sunday Musings – May 10, 2020
Bodhicitta
A number of years ago a friend introduced me to the Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chödrön. It was not long before I was listening to recordings of her talks and reading her books over and over again. What she said and how she communicated to my heart and mind validated all I had long believed. She also challenged me to grow emotionally and spiritually. To this day there is seldom a day in which she , via her books and CDs, do not make an appearance in my life. Her words are often the wings which carry suggestions for healing when I meet with clients or when I have been challenged to grow. I was thrilled this week when the On Being podcast featured a conversation between host Krista Tippett and the musician Devendra Banhart “talking through our favorite passages of When Things Fall Apart, a classic, spiritual work by Pema Chödrön.”
Once again, the wise voice of Pema Chodron spoken through Ms. Tippett and Mr. Banhart, invited me to think about how I was applying “bodhicitta” to this phase of our shared human journey. Bodhicitta is a Sanskrit word essentially meaning noble or awakened heart to be in kindship with the suffering of others. According to the Venerable Geshe Kisang Gyatso in Transform Your Life Bodhi is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment and citta is the word for mind. Bodhicitta means mind of enlightenment. He says Bodhicitta “is defined by a mind, motivated by compassion for all living beings, that spontaneously seeks enlightenment.
Bodhicitta is born from great compassion, which itself depends upon cherishing love.
Cherishing love can be likened to a field, compassion to the seeds, taking and giving to the supreme methods for making the seeds grow and bodhicitta to the harvest.”
In the United States today is a day to honor mothers – all those who fill the role of mother. This may be the biological mother, an adoptive mother, a grandmother, or another person such as a friend of mine who became aunty mom when both parents of her nephew died by the time he was age 12. It could be the friend of mine whose wife’s debilitating illness prevented her from parenting day-to-day. It might be someone such as my Grandma Fannie or Aunt Pleasie. It might be one or both gay men or lesbian women raising children. It may be the father who was blessed to have the skills and temperament to provide the day to day seed planting (compassion), cherishing love, and guidance to prepare the children to leave the nest (the harvest).
Hats off to the woman whose womb provides a home for the first nine months of the development of that precious child and goes through the painful process of birthing a child (or children). Only she can do that first nine months. Yet, that very same woman may or may not have the skills, health or temperament to assume the role of mother for rest of that child’s life. Mother then is not determined by biology or even gender. The birth mother may not be the best person to show compassion, cherishing love and the guidance to prepare a child for adult life. If lucky, however, there is that special person who can take over after birth. Sometimes that honor falls to the counselor, teacher, mentor, spiritual teacher such as Pema Chödrön, or even the next door neighbor.
As we reach adulthood it is also our job to access that part of us who can provide the cherishing love, compassion and guidance to ourselves and to our neighbors, our partners, children, and all those with whom we come into contact; that part of us who can wake the heart within us to live in kinship with the suffering of others. It is up to all of us who are able to be that archetype- model – prototype of what we associate with the ideal mother; to welcome and embrace the mother within us.
Written May 10, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Bodhicitta
A number of years ago a friend introduced me to the Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chödrön. It was not long before I was listening to recordings of her talks and reading her books over and over again. What she said and how she communicated to my heart and mind validated all I had long believed. She also challenged me to grow emotionally and spiritually. To this day there is seldom a day in which she , via her books and CDs, do not make an appearance in my life. Her words are often the wings which carry suggestions for healing when I meet with clients or when I have been challenged to grow. I was thrilled this week when the On Being podcast featured a conversation between host Krista Tippett and the musician Devendra Banhart “talking through our favorite passages of When Things Fall Apart, a classic, spiritual work by Pema Chödrön.”
Once again, the wise voice of Pema Chodron spoken through Ms. Tippett and Mr. Banhart, invited me to think about how I was applying “bodhicitta” to this phase of our shared human journey. Bodhicitta is a Sanskrit word essentially meaning noble or awakened heart to be in kindship with the suffering of others. According to the Venerable Geshe Kisang Gyatso in Transform Your Life Bodhi is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment and citta is the word for mind. Bodhicitta means mind of enlightenment. He says Bodhicitta “is defined by a mind, motivated by compassion for all living beings, that spontaneously seeks enlightenment.
Bodhicitta is born from great compassion, which itself depends upon cherishing love.
Cherishing love can be likened to a field, compassion to the seeds, taking and giving to the supreme methods for making the seeds grow and bodhicitta to the harvest.”
In the United States today is a day to honor mothers – all those who fill the role of mother. This may be the biological mother, an adoptive mother, a grandmother, or another person such as a friend of mine who became aunty mom when both parents of her nephew died by the time he was age 12. It could be the friend of mine whose wife’s debilitating illness prevented her from parenting day-to-day. It might be someone such as my Grandma Fannie or Aunt Pleasie. It might be one or both gay men or lesbian women raising children. It may be the father who was blessed to have the skills and temperament to provide the day to day seed planting (compassion), cherishing love, and guidance to prepare the children to leave the nest (the harvest).
Hats off to the woman whose womb provides a home for the first nine months of the development of that precious child and goes through the painful process of birthing a child (or children). Only she can do that first nine months. Yet, that very same woman may or may not have the skills, health or temperament to assume the role of mother for rest of that child’s life. Mother then is not determined by biology or even gender. The birth mother may not be the best person to show compassion, cherishing love and the guidance to prepare a child for adult life. If lucky, however, there is that special person who can take over after birth. Sometimes that honor falls to the counselor, teacher, mentor, spiritual teacher such as Pema Chödrön, or even the next door neighbor.
As we reach adulthood it is also our job to access that part of us who can provide the cherishing love, compassion and guidance to ourselves and to our neighbors, our partners, children, and all those with whom we come into contact; that part of us who can wake the heart within us to live in kinship with the suffering of others. It is up to all of us who are able to be that archetype- model – prototype of what we associate with the ideal mother; to welcome and embrace the mother within us.
Written May 10, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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