B. Alan Wallace, 26 Aug 2015
Alan begins by explaining that great compassion is a unique feature of the Mahayana path. Great compassion is cultivated by transforming the aspiration for bodhicitta, through the four immeasurables, to the intention of bodhicitta. Great compassion takes the perspective of calling on our own buddha nature.
Drawing on the well known prayer “Calling the Guru from Afar”, Alan suggests that the guru could also be seen as our pristine awareness or buddha nature and as we progress on the path the guru comes closer. Alan’s final theme is on the alternative paths to achieving pristine awareness. He discusses the early Dzogchen practices which taught togal (direct crossing over) first, followed by trekcho (breakthrough via the substrate consciousness) whereas the dominant approach now is the reverse order. Similarly, each person needs to find the approach that gets the most traction in cultivating relative bodhicitta, either by way of mediation or by way of the view.
The meditation is on Great Compassion.
The meditation starts at 34:32.
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