Passages for Meditation

Shantideva

The Miracle of Illumination

As a blind man feels when he finds a pearl in a dustbin, so am I amazed by the miracle of Bodhi rising in my consciousness. It is the nectar of immortality that delivers us from death, the treasure that lifts us above poverty into the wealth of giving to life, the tree that gives shade to us when we roam about scorched by life the bridge that takes us across the stormy river of life, the cool moon of compassion that calms our mind when it is agitated, the sun that dispels darkness, the butter made from the milk of kindness by churning it with the dharma. It is a feast of joy to which all are invited.

From the Bodhicharyavatara of Shantideva, a Buddhist saint of the seventh century. Bodhi, "illumination," comes from the Sanskrit root buddh, "to wake up"; dharma is the law of unity that underlies all life. This is a free rendering for meditation by Eknath Easwaran.