Ep. 157 – Relative And Absolute Bodhicitta

Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

Be Here Now Network

Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness, Vipassana, Buddhism, Insightmeditation, Meditation, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 864 Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this deep exploration of the union between compassion and emptiness, Joseph Goldstein breaks down the relative and absolute levels of Bodhicitta, the heart-mind of awakening.

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“The ultimate nature of Bodhicitta – the relative level is compassion – the ultimate level of Bodhicitta, is the empty, aware nature of the mind itself. And as one Tibetan teacher said, ‘When compassion and emptiness are both present, enlightenment is unavoidable.’ So this is what we practice. This what we come to realize, to cultivate: the relative Bodhicitta of compassion, the ultimate Bodhicitta of emptiness.” – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode, Joseph explores:

Relative Bodhicitta, absolute Bodhicitta, and how these two levels are expressions of each other, not polarities
The different ways in which we can understand emptiness, including dropping into the effortless flow of experience, being reminded by our teachers, seeing the insubstantial nature of the self, and seeing that things are not amenable to our will
The nature of the mind, which is empty like space, has an innate wakefulness, and it is inherently pure
How the activity of emptiness is compassion

This dharma talk from July 9, 2003, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Transcript

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0:37.7	The ultimate nation. the relative level is level is compassion.
0:39.2	The ultimate level of body chita is the empty aware nature of the mind itself.
0:50.0	And as one Tibetan teacher said, when compassion and emptiness are both present,
0:56.0	Enlightenment is unavoidable.
1:00.0	So this is what we practice.
1:01.4	This is what we come to realize, to cultivate the relative
1:06.5	body jitter of compassion, the ultimate body jitter of emptiness. Welcome to the Joseph Goldstein Inside Hour.
1:29.0	This podcast is an expression of our shared interest in self-discovery.
1:35.0	Join Joseph as he shares his deep knowledge of the path of mindfulness.
1:41.0	If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please go to be here now network
1:46.5	dot com slash Joseph. I've been reading the biography of Ajan Mann, who was in some sense the grandfather of the Thai Forest tradition,
2:09.4	this very great monk reputed to be in Our hunt.
2:15.0	And this biography was written by one of his great disciples who is still living today,
2:20.0	Ajahn, Mahabuah, who is himself considered to be in our hunt.
	...

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