Rev. Clairissa considers what it means to give rise to the intention to realize enlightenment – the awakening of our Buddha Heart – amidst all conditions. She approaches through discussion of the term Bodhicitta, which is Sanskrit for “the mind (and/or heart) that seeks the Way.”

This encouraging reminder to “Remember Bodhicitta” is inspired by teachings offered by Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253), founder of Sōtō Zen in Japan, and by the Thirtieth Ancestor Chien-chih Seng-ts’an/Kanshi Sōsan (d. 606, in China).

For those who may be drawn to look further into Dōgen’s and Seng-ts’an’s teachings:

Dōgen’s recorded Dharma talks, from which Rev. Clairissa reads selections, are translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman in Shōbōgenzō: The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching (Shasta Abbey Press, 2007). The chapters mentioned here are: Chapter 6 Soku Shin Ze Butsu “On ‘Your Very Mind Is Buddha’” and Chapter 85 Hotsu Bodai Shin “On Giving Rise to the Enlightened Mind.”

Verses offered from Seng-ts’an/Sōsan’s Dharma poem That Which Is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal (C. Hsin Hsin Ming; J. Shinjinmei) are also translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman. The full poem is in the book Buddhist Writings on Meditation and Daily Practice: The Serene Reflection Meditation Tradition (Shasta Abbey Press, 1994).