[Adapted from an oral commentary given by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche in conjunction with a ceremony wherein he bestowed the bodhisattva vow upon a gathering of disciples at Namdroling in Bozeman, Montana, November 1999. ---Ed.]
The ultimate nature of all phenomena is empty and free from elaboration and limitation. From the relative point of view there is duality—self and other, happiness and sorrow, and so forth. A skilled magician can create magical displays while knowing that his creations are just magic. The spectators, even when knowing they are seeing a magic show, will see the display as real. Similarly, endless appearances arise on the relative plane, but their nature is empty, devoid of true, inherent existence.
Not knowing that the nature of all phenomena is empty, sentient beings hold to phenomena as real. Having created the habit of fixating upon all appearances as being true and real, they have compounded this habit over countless lifetimes. Practitioners of the bodhisattva path realize the empty nature of phenomena and know that sentient beings revolving in cyclic existence are suffering because of their not knowing the empty nature of phenomena.
Considering that all these sentient beings suffering in cyclic existence were your parents in past lifetimes, [it is evident that] they showed you great kindness by giving you your life. They birthed you, nurtured you, and cared for you when you were sick. They cherished you in inconceivable ways, more than they cherished their own life. In countless ways, they showed you great kindness. Without exception, all these [sentient beings, who all were your] mothers of your past lifetimes, including your mother of this lifetime, have only wanted happiness. Because of their not knowing the [empty] nature of phenomena and [therefore] holding to appearances as true, they have accumulated only the wrong causes, which have resulted in more suffering. Although they have hoped to establish happiness, having been unaware of the way to do so, they have established more causes for suffering—while having shown incredible kindness to you and others, repeatedly.
You have a responsibility here. In order to be able to establish sentient beings in true happiness, you must have the power and strength to do so. Just now you lack that strength. It is only when you become fully enlightened that you will have the strength and power to establish sentient beings in the state of true happiness. That is why you must become fully enlightened. The sole purpose in seeking liberation is to bring all parent sentient beings out of suffering and to establish them in the state of everlasting bliss and happiness, which is, of course, the state of fully perfected buddhahood. Therefore, with that as your root intention, you engage in aspirational and practical bodhicitta.
From “THE PATH of the Bodhisattva: A Collection of the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva and Related Prayers” with a commentary by Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche on the Prayer for Excellent Conduct
Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008
I would enjoy reading a similar tract considering the situation from the perspective of one who has not experienced parenting of the loving, nurturing kind.
@ lissnup
All of us at some point have experienced loving and nurtuing from someone. If one has not had loving and nurturing experiences in this life they need to look deep and examine what in their past (lives) they may have done to create the causes for not receiving love in this life. If you can, I reccomend you listen to the podcast from Palyul Productions (on itunes) titled Karma. It is a teching from Jetsunma and it is wonderful.
I wish you sucess on your path.
May all beings benefit.
@ Elena thank you so much for your recommendation
[...] stages of dedication [the third and final aspect of the ritual itself]: To begin, consider the benefits of taking the bodhisattva vow. Although the benefits are so vast they cannot be enumerated, a few of them will be mentioned here. [...]