The more open our heart is, the more we feel others suffering as our own. But that doesn’t mean we feel depressed and despondent. The suffering of others doesn’t weigh us down because we are buoyed by the warmth of our tenderness toward them. For someone who is guided by bodhichitta, the wish to benefit all beings by attaining enlightenment, living in samsara is a joyful experience. Every minute that your heart is open is a minute to cherish.
There is no sense of heaviness and no bewilderment about what you should be doing. Every moment, there is something you can do to benefit sentient beings. Even if you are alone, you can warm your heart toward others, you can make aspirations and prayers on their behalf, and you can dedicate your merit to their well-being and their eventual enlightenment.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
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