It seems that Bodhicitta is seldom seen much less discussed in the literature of Zen. Certainly, Zen master Ho-tse Shen-hui (684–758) spoke about it when he said:
“Since you have already come to this ordination platform to study the perfection of wisdom, I want each and every one of you to generate the unsurpassable bodhicitta both mentally and orally and to become enlightened to the cardinal meaning of the middle way in this very place!” (John R. McRae, Seeing through Zen, p. 56).
What does Bodhicitta mean? It means the mind that is bodhi. In Sanskrit, bodhicittotpada means to generate the mind that is bodhi. It is by generating such a mind that rapid progress to Buddhahood can begin. Short of it, nothing is accomplished.
Actual Bodhicitta, not just the aspiration or wish for it, is the direct experience of the pure nature of Mind. To be sure, this is not our everyday monkey mind but, differently, it is the very essence or substance of thought. Also, with Bodhicitta comes the realization that phenomena are illusory and empty of any intrinsicalness.
After the generation of Bodhicitta only then does the adept become an actual Bodhisattva who then proceeds to expand Bodhicitta by the ten different stages which are called the bodhisattva-bhumis (i.e., the stages of the Bodhisattva). Zen doesn't really discuss this and for a very good reason. Zen is really a path for advanced beginners, for those who have no idea what the nature of pure Mind is but are willing to aspire to Bodhicitta.
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