Those who, through their personal suffering,
Truly want to end completely
All the suffering of others
Are persons of supreme capacity
– Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana
The Essence of Bodhicitta
This verse refers to those practitioners who generate compassion and loving kindess towards others on the basis of a deep understading of the nature of their own suffering. They understand that suffering comes into being as a result of the mental afflications rooted in fundamental ignorance and recognize that as long as they are under the control of these afflictions and the underlying ignorance, sufferings will continue to arise ceaselessly, like ripples on a lake.
Once you understand the nature of suffering in relation to your own existence in this way, you can then extend your understanding to see that all sentient beings suffers collectively. We are all interdependent upon one another as we exist within the same world. Because of this interdependency, we should seek the well-being of others and ourselves knowing that there is no point in creating hurt to others who are also on the same boat. In Chinese Mahayana this is called 同体大悲. Hence generating the Bodhicitta is not just about religious zeal at all. Conversely it is through direct realization that we are One People, One Being living in One Universe, that we should seek for the collective progress for one and all. When we generate the wish for all sentient beings to be happy, this is the practice of Metta, or loving kindness.
