still in the glow of the potent full moon of midsummer honoring our teachers beginning with the greatest teacher, divine love, and continuing the celebrating with that of  my father’s birth as he now moves across the sky and resting in the image of our teachers of openheartedness, the standing talls whose roots go so deeply into the earth of our being connecting us all and grounding us in the love that is eternal…

let us amplify the practice of lovingkindness with that of  bodhichitta…

the best way to begin a practice of boddhichitta is by thinking of a person whose suffering you feel strongly and whose happiness is very important to you… it could be someone you know or have known, or someone you’ve seen on the street or read about in the newspaper… thinking of certain people naturally and easily awakens bodhicitta in us: we care about them and we don’t want them to suffer… think of such a person and, whether you feel love, gratitude or compassion for them, say, “may they be free of suffering and the root of suffering; may they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.”

now, think of an area of the world that’s in great turmoil—an area where you know people and animals are suffering a lot… when you’ve chosen the place, think of the men there, and say, “may all the men in that place be free of suffering and the root of suffering; may they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.” give yourself time… take a few minutes…

next, think of all the women in that place, and wish that they too could be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness…

then, think of all of the children in that place and wish that they be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and that they might enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

finally, think of all the animals in that place—the mammals, the birds, the fish, the insects and all the other animals—and wish that they be free of suffering and the root of suffering; that they might enjoy happiness and the root of happiness…

shanti, shanti, shantihi…