In my meditation practice I often seek out further reading on concepts and contemplation ideas. A lot of these concepts come from Buddhist literature or Taoist readings. I find many of the teachings in these spiritual philosophies are both interesting to contemplate and mind opening in their ideas about the universe and existence.
Recently, I read a book called "Turning the Mind into an Ally" by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the founder of the Shambala Meditation Center. In this book I discovered the concept of bodhichitta.
Bodhichitta, which basically means "enlightenment-mind", is the mind that strives towards awakening and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings. The way Sakyong describes this concept is a way to care for all other beings, both people and animals. When meditating, we can calm our minds of distracting thoughts and welcome our inner goodness. This way we can better open our hearts to caring for others.
This is something I have really developed over the last few years. I used to be a very angry person. I had a lot of hate and contempt for the outside world, and society, and other people. I see this kind of attitude in many people today.
"People are stupid."
"People suck."
It's true that we can all be stupid at times. I would be lying if I said I was never one of those stupid people. I make mistakes. I fail. That doesn't mean I suck at life though. Realizing our own failures and mistakes, acknowledging them but not beating ourselves up about them, can help us realize that other people are no better or worse than ourselves. We are all just living like everyone else. Keeping the concept of bodhichitta in mind and show some compassion for others, can help us live more positively.
Next time someone is frustrating you, just contemplate this idea and send them good feelings. You don't have to say anything or do anything. Just think it. Just think in your head:
"Have a nice day."