Becoming a bodhisattva, one whose life is dedicated to helping others, doesn’t mean you have to become a social worker, but there is a basic sense of not making a nuisance of yourself. At the same time, your existence means something to the rest of the world. There is a natural function taking place, and the traditional analogy is to the elements: water serve a purpose, earth serves a purpose, wind and fire serve a purpose. Similarly the bodhisattva’s existence serves a purpose in itself, not as a part of any particular program, or because the bodhisattva’s duty is this or that.

From Cynicism and Magic: Intelligence and Intuition on the Buddhist Path, page 71.

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