you’re sowing seeds of wakefulness, seeds of being
able to see the nature of mind, and seeds of being
able to rest in unconditional space. It doesn’t matter
that you can’t do it every time. Just the willingness,
the strong determination to do it, is sowing the seeds
of virtue. You find that you can do it more sponta-
neously and naturally, without its being an effort. It
begins with some sense of exertion and becomes your
normal state. That’s the seed of bodhichitta ripening.
You find out who you really are.
Aspiration. The last strength, aspiration, is also a
powerful tool. A heartfelt sense of aspiring cuts
through negativity about yourself; it cuts through the
heavy trips you lay on yourself. The notion of aspira-
tion is simply that you voice your wishes for enlight-
enment. You say to yourself, for yourself, about
yourself, and by yourself things like, “May my com-
passion for myself increase.” You might be feeling
completely hopeless, down on yourself, and you can
voice your heartfelt aspiration: “May my sense of
being obstructed decrease. May my experience of
wakefulness increase. May I experience my funda-
mental wisdom. May I think of others before myself.”
Aspiration is much like prayer, except that there’s no-
body who hears you.
Aspiration, yet again, is to talk to yourself, to be an
eccentric bodhisattva. It is a way to empower your-
self. In fact, all five of these strengths are ways to em-
122 Teachings for Life and Death