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.
Shantideva was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk and mystic, revered in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. This passage is published in Easwaran’s spiritual anthologies, “God Makes the Rivers to Flow” and “Timeless Wisdom.” The audio recording is by Eknath Easwaran’s wife, Christine Easwaran.