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The Bodhi Mind of Subtle Awareness
Our mind has three aspects: wisdom, feelings, and will. In the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, the term beginner’s mind is very important. It is the mind at the very beginning of the practitioner’s path, a wellspring of energy that flows from the depths of our consciousness. That mind is called the bodhi mind, which is the will to attain understanding and enlightenment. Because beings suffer due to lack of understanding, understanding is the key to liberation. But in Buddhism, understanding is the foundation of love. The more we understand, the more we can love. Therefore, the bodhi mind is also the mind of understanding and the mind of love. The deepest desire of a human being is to be understood and to be loved.
Beginner’s mind is also our first love. If our beginner’s mind becomes worn out and withered, then there is no longer any hope. Our daily practice must have the effect of nourishing our beginner’s mind. A good practitioner is someone who can offer the fruit of understanding and the fruit of love. But how can these fruits be there if the practitioner does not practice right concentration and mindfulness? The Buddha taught:
- From mindfulness arises concentration.
- From concentration arises insight.
The garden that we must tend in our daily life is the garden of mindfulness. Living deeply in mindfulness and concentration, one day our mind will become clear and bright; this is called enlightened mind. At that time, we can see into the depths of all things; this is called seeing our true nature. Without the garden of mindfulness and right concentration, there can never be the fruit of understanding and of love.