Our goal is to fully awaken the heart and mind, not only for our own well-being, but also in order to bring benefit, comfort, and wisdom to other beings. Could there be a motivation that surpasses this?

When you become interested in spiritual teachings, it is very important to be aware of your true intentions. Ask yourself: "Why am I reading this book with the strange title" Welcoming Difficulties "now?" Do you think you'll find clues in it to help you cope with the difficult times ahead? Are you reading it to understand yourself? Are you hoping that with this book you will overcome emotional or mental patterns that interfere with your well-being? Or is it just someone gave it to you with rave reviews, and you don't want to upset that person by putting the book aside?

Your motivation can include all of the above, and these are all good reasons (even the last one) for reading this or any other book. But in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, to which I belong, when studying spiritual practices, you first need to generate a stronger motivation known as bodhicitta. In Sanskrit, bodhi means "awakened" and chitta translates as "heart" or "mind." Our goal is to fully awaken our heart and mind, not only for our own well-being, but also in order to bring benefit, comfort, and wisdom to other beings. Could there be a motivation that surpasses this?

Buddha taught that we are all kind and loving. And because of this primordial kindness, we want to help others, especially those who are close to us and those who need it most. We are acutely aware of what others need, society and the planet need, especially now. We want to do everything we can to ease the fear, anger, and painful feelings of instability so common in many today. But often, when we try to help, we find our own confusion and habitual inclinations. I often hear the same stories: "I wanted to help difficult teenagers, I studied and trained specifically for this, and became a social worker. But two days later, I hated all the children! I wanted to get rid of all these teenagers and find others who were nicer and more willing to cooperate with me. And then I realized

Bodhicitta, the awakened heart, begins with the desire to be free of everything that prevents us from helping others. We strive to free ourselves from delusion and habitual patterns that hide our original kindness, to become more aware of our reactions and more decisive. We understand that only by sorting out our own neuroses and addictions can we help these teenagers, our family members, our community, and random people we meet. Yes, we will not completely get rid of strong feelings and acute reactions, but if we know how to work with these emotions without getting into the usual rut, we can help others. And even if we cannot radically change the lives of others for the better, they will still feel our support, and this in itself is a great help.

Bodhicitta begins with this aspiration, but is not limited to it. Bodhicitta is also an obligation. We are committed to doing everything we can to completely free ourselves from all kinds of delusions, unconscious habits and suffering, because it is these that prevent us from fully committing ourselves to helping others. To use Buddhist terminology, our absolute obligation is to attain "enlightenment." Basically, it means realizing your true nature - open, impartial, and compassionate. We will know this without any doubt, and this knowledge cannot be lost. In this state, we will possess the highest wisdom and skills through which we will be able to benefit others and help them to fully awaken.

S

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