There are seven benefits: its superiority over other virtues, the fact that it is the root of the whole Dharma, the fact that it increases one’s merit, its vast qualities, and the facts that one becomes an object of the world’s reverence, that everything one undertakes is meaningful, and that all those with whom one is connected are linked to liberation.

1. The benefit that bodhichitta is oustandingly greater than other forms of virtue From the very moment we arouse bodhichitta, even the most terrible negative actions are instantly destroyed. No other positive act is as powerful as this, for as The Way of the Bodhisattva points out, Virtue, thus, is weak; and always Evil is of great and overwhelming strength. Except for perfect bodhichitta, What other virtue is there that can outshine it?

2. The benefit that it is the root of Dharma Bodhichitta is the seed of everything that is excellent. Even while one is circling in existence, it will result in much happiness; and it is the sole cause of nirvana, supreme enlightenment. We can read in the Sutra Requested by Brahma: Brahma, because the superior motivation, bodhichitta, is the root of the whole Dharma, it is like a seed. Why is this? Just as from a seed there comes the shoot, the leaves, the flowers, and the fruit, from the superior motivation there comes the experience of much happiness among gods and humans and, furthermore, the attainment of omniscience.

3. The benefit that one’s merit grows ever greater For those who have aroused bodhichitta and not let it degenerate, not only are wisdom and skillful means combined during formal meditation, when they are in a state of no-thought, but even in ordinary situations in which they are not thinking—when they are asleep or unconscious, for example—an unbroken stream of merit arises. We are not talking here about a source of good consistent with ordinary merit which, like the plantain tree, bears fruit once and then is spent, but rather of merit that produces the fruit of happiness until the essence of enlightenment is reached: it is inexhaustible, growing more and more, like a great wish-fulfilling tree. The Way of the Bodhisattva describes it thus: For when, with irreversible intent, The mind embraces bodhichitta, Willing to set free the endless multitudes of beings, At that instant, from that moment on, A great and unremitting stream, A strength of wholesome merit, Even during sleep and inattention, Rises equal to the vastness of the sky. and, All other virtues, like the plantain tree, Produce their fruit, but then their force is spent. Alone the marvelous tree of bodhichitta Constantly bears fruit and grows unceasingly.

4. The benefit that one has immeasurable qualities Arousing bodhichitta results in an immense profusion of excellent qualities, among them, holding the infinite teachings of the Buddhas, understanding numerous teachings, and being blessed by the Buddhas. And it is a supreme offering to the Buddhas. The Sutra of the Inconceivable Secrets says: If the merit of bodhichitta Were to take form It would fill the whole of space, And still there would be more. And in the Sutra of the Arborescent Array we read: In short, there is as much excellence and abundance of good qualities in arousing bodhichitta as all the excellence that the Victorious, Virtuous, Transcendent Buddhas possess: it is as vast as the firmament, as vast as the absolute space.

5. The benefit that one becomes an object of the world’s reverence Someone who possesses bodhichitta becomes an object of great reverence by the whole world, including the gods, as The Way of the Bodhisattva shows: Should bodhichitta come to birth In those who suffer, chained in prisons of samsara, In that instant they are called the children of the Blissful One, Revered by all the world, by gods and humankind.

6. The benefit that everything one undertakes is meaningful Everything someone who possesses bodhichitta does, whether neutral or positive, becomes a source of good consistent with liberation, for even if the act is not backed by the actual thought of bodhichitta at the time, once one has taken the vow of bodhichitta, provided one has not degenerated it, all one’s actions are permeated by bodhichitta. Everything such a person undertakes, therefore, is bound, ultimately, to be beneficial. We can read in the Sutra of the Arborescent Array: Child of good family, everything that someone who has aroused the supreme bodhichitta undertakes with his body, speech, and mind has meaning: it has a single flavor in that it is always and exclusively positive.

7. The benefit that all those with whom one is connected are linked to liberation Because Bodhisattvas are such important “fields,” people who, from lack of faith, get angry with them and do them harm will have to experience the lower realms, at least temporarily. But despite this, in the end, because of those Bodhisattvas’ compassion, they will definitely reach the end of cyclic existence and be liberated. As for those who do have faith in them, their merit will grow more and more powerful, and they will thereby swiftly attain enlightenment.

The Pagoda of Precious Jewels states:

Even those who do evil to a Bodhisattva, resulting in their going to the lower realms, will subsequently, because of that Bodhisattva’s great efforts, find freedom and be set in unsurpassable enlightenment.

And The Way of the Bodhisattva says:

I go for refuge to those springs of happiness Who bring their very enemies to perfect bliss.

To sum up, in the forty-fourth chapter of the Sutra of the Arborescent Array we find a description of how boundless the merit and other benefits of bodhichitta are. Having taken the vow of bodhichitta from Mañjushri, Sudhana wished to request the precepts, and in order to do so travelled south. He arrived in a southern land on the shores of the ocean, at the palace called “Endowed with the Essence Ornamented by Vairochana,” in which Maitreya was teaching the Dharma to a following of many hundreds of thousands of Bodhisattvas. Seeing him from a distance of five hundred leagues, Sudhana felt raptures of joy and prostrated to him. When Maitreya saw him, he placed his right hand on Sudhana’s head and delightedly sang his praises to the assembled Bodhisattvas: “Look, at Sudhana, he of pure intent, Born of enduring riches, Seeking the practice of supreme enlightenment, He has come before me, the wise one.” and, “Have you travelled well, you in whom compassion and love have arisen? Have you come to the vast mandala of Maitreya? Have you travelled well, you the sight of whom brings perfect peace? Have you not tired of performing the deeds of a Bodhisattva?” and so on.

Thereupon, Sudhana, with his hands folded, said to him: “Noble One, now that I am fully engaged in unsurpassable enlightenment, I beg you, since I do not know, to show me how to wholeheartedly undertake the activities of a Bodhisattva.”

To this Maitreya replied: “Fortunate child, you have been guided by a spiritual friend. Why is this? Fortunate child, bodhichitta is like the seed of all the Buddha’s teachings. In making everything that is virtuous in all beings grow, it is like a field. In consuming everything that is evil, it is like the fire at the end of the kalpa. In bringing to exhaustion all negative actions, it is like the underworld. In fulfilling all wishes, it is like the king of wish-fulfilling jewels. In drawing beings out of the river of cyclic existence, it is like a hook. It is like an offering tree in the world of gods, humankind, and demigods. It fulfills all aspirations, like the bounteous vase.”

And having actually described almost two hundred and fifty benefits, ending with the similes of elixirs and jewels, he concluded,

“Thus, bodhichitta possesses these and infinite other benefits.” For a detailed account you should consult the sutra itself.

A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Padmakara Translatino Group
Shambhala Publishing