Thought for Monday on Great Vow (read in Eng,Sp,Fr,Ger,It)
Buddhist optimism means that ALL living beings shall be free, and is based upon the Bodhisattva vow of universal liberation. What could be more optimistic than that? However, what makes it different from get rich quick schemes is that we are not trying to program our subconscious to get more: to get our desires met, manifesting the new car, the boyfriend, or the girlfriend that we want, but in fact, quite the opposite. We no longer are interested in drawing each and every desired object toward ourselves, but instead, self-interest (self-cherishing or the self-important view,) completely turns inside out. We discover for ourselves that we can exponentially increase the desire to benefit others in ways that we could never accomplish for ourselves. What we wish for others will have a more profound effect on the world, and in fact, it has a more profound effect on us than any form of secret or not-so-secret guide to higher self cherishing. The Bodhisattva ideal is not just for this lifetim...