We are ready to leap onto the bodhisattva path, the path of putting others before ourselves, when we are ready to open to the joy of working with sentient beings, including oneself. Bodhisattvas make friends with themselves as well as with others. There are no mysterious, dark corners left of which to be suspicious. No surprises can occur to destroy the bodhisattvas’ spiritual intelligence, their dignity and heroism. This is the first step, the first bhumi or spiritual level on the bodhisattva path.

You discover that you have something to give rather than having to demand from others, having to grasp all the time. For the first time, you are a rich person. You contain basic sanity. You have something to offer. You are able to work with your fellow sentient beings.

From “Heroism,” in The Myth of Freedom: and the Way of Meditation, pages 134-135.

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