::Micah::

All those who suffer in the world do so because of their desire for their own happiness. All those happy in the world are so because of their desire for the happiness of others.

To learn about Buddhism is to learn about oneself. By contemplating even the basic tenants of Buddhism—everything is connected, there is no eternal/permanent self, an emphasis on compassion towards others, to name a few—one is forced to think deeply about what makes them who they are and how they can be a better person. Reading The Bodhicaryavatara, an ancient guide written by Santideva on the Buddhist path to awakening and enlightenment, has caused me to engage in such introspection as well as impressed upon me the nature of Buddhism, a truly intuitive religion. While reading, I have been especially struck by the wisdom, beauty, and simplicity of the writing. I think that many of the passages can stand on their own as valuable messages, even if one lacks a context for them. Here, in no particular order, are several passages that have stood out to me thus far and that I think you might find interesting:

Such a being, unprecedented, an excellent jewel, in whom there is born a concern for the welfare of others such as others have not even for themselves, how is he born? 1-25.

Hoping to escape suffering, it is to suffering that they run. In the desire for happiness, out of delusion, they destroy their own happiness, like an enemy. 1-28.

Those who will falsely accuse me, and others who will do me harm, and others still who will degrade me, may they all share in Awakening. 3-16.
I am the protector of the unprotected and the caravan-leader for travellers. I have become the boat, the causeway, and the bridge for those who long to reach the further shore. 3-17.
May I be a light for those in need of light. May I be a bed for those in need of rest. May I be a servant for those in need of service, for all embodied beings. 3-18.

I think of myself as someone who generally gets joy out of helping others and cares for the wellbeing of those around me. However, in considering the unselfishness and compassion of the Bodhisattva (an enlightened being), I realized just how much more I could do for others in my daily life. I don’t take this to mean that I should completely change the way I live, but rather that I should always try to stay aware of the value of compassion and incorporate it into my ambitions in life.

Since I cannot control external events, I will control my own mind. What concern is it of mine whether other things are controlled? 5-14.

My mind seeks acquisitions, reverence, or renown, or again wants an audience and attention. Therefore I remain like a block of wood. 5-51.

The shackle of acquisition and honour is unfitting for me who longs for liberation. How can I hate those who liberate me from that shackle? 6-100.
If an enemy is not honoured because he did not intend you to achieve forbearance, then why is the True Dharma honoured? It too is the unconscious cause of achievement. 6-109.
In that case, it is really in dependence upon his malign intention that forbearance is produced, and in that case it is really he that is the cause of my forbearance. I must worship him as the True Dharma. 6-111.

Anger is something that an aspiring Bodhisattva must avoid. To do so, one must realize that anger is a reaction to something that happened as a result of conditioning factors that were dependant upon something else. In this way, one will master the art of forbearance, or tolerance, towards others. I thought it was fascinating how this mode of thinking flipped the idea of an enemy into something necessary for one to reach enlightenment and worthy of worship.

Those who conquer the enemy taking the blows of their adversary on the chest, they are the triumphant heroes, while the rest kill what is already dead. 6-20.

What is heard, reflected upon, or cultivated in meditation, like water in a leaky jar, does not stay in the memory of a mind which lacks awareness. 4-25.

Let my possessions freely perish, my honour, my body and life, and let other good things perish, but never the mind. 4-22.