The Jewel in the Lotus
Buddhism exists to free all beings from suffering, and suffering is rooted in the delusion of separateness. As we engage sincerely with the Dharma, the three poisons of ignorance, attachment, and aversion begin to loosen their grip. The heart-mind is no longer so tightly occupied with defending “me” and guarding what is “mine.” It begins to feel the suffering of others as inseparable from its own, while also seeing clearly that nothing exists independently or permanently from its own side. As delusion thins, fear loses its force, self-centeredness falls away, and so dawns great compassion, radiant joy, and unconditional love for all beings.
Mani Kabum Press freely and humbly offers translations with commentary of selected Tibetan Buddhist texts with the simple hope that they may inspire readers to want to attain buddhahood in this lifetime or the next for the sake of all beings.
One of the most beloved figures in Tibetan Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara was chosen as the cover of Boundless Caring, Clear Awaring – The Heart of Bodhicitta. The four-armed emanation shown here is known as Ṣaḍakṣarī Lokeśvara, “Lord of the Six Syllables,” because he embodies the mantra Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ. Seated upon a moon disc in the heart of a lotus, his luminous white body suggests a mind purified of hatred, grasping, and self-concern. His four arms express the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. At his heart, his joined hands hold the radiant wish-fulfilling jewel, the treasure of bodhicitta itself: the awakening heart-mind that seeks buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
In his outer hands, Avalokiteśvara holds a crystal rosary and a white lotus. The rosary signifies his ceaseless compassionate activity, the continuous turning of mantra and blessing for beings caught in suffering. The lotus blooms unstained from muddy waters, showing how compassion enters saṃsāra without being corrupted by it. Though adorned in celestial silks, jewels, crown, and ornaments, his splendor is not worldly luxury but the richness of awakened qualities. The antelope skin over his shoulder symbolizes gentleness, patience, and nonviolence. For this book, Avalokiteśvara is not merely a sacred image on the cover. He is the living icon of its central teaching: boundless caring joined with clear awaring, compassion made vast by wisdom, wisdom made warm by love.
Boundless Caring, Clear Awaring – The Heart of Bodhicitta is a luminous, accessible invitation into bodhicitta: the awakening heart-mind that vows to attain buddhahood for the sake of all beings. Moving from introductions to bodhicitta and wisdom into the mantra Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ, then to what the Mani Kabum instructs about bodhicitta, and finally to a new translation of Khunu Rinpoche’s Jewel Lamp in praise of bodhicitta, the book presents bodhicitta as both essential Dharma and intimate human practice. With contemplative warmth and precision, the book shows how compassion and emptiness become one living path: love made vast by wisdom, wisdom made tender by love. This is a book for anyone who wishes to turn ordinary life into a field of awakening, service, and boundless caring.