The boundless motivation of bodhichitta means dedicating all your activities for the benefit of all beings. Whether you do a single prostration, chant the six syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara one time, or give a handful of food to an animal, do so with the wish that all sentient beings enjoy long life, health, prosperity, and ultimately attain complete enlightenment. No matter what you do, large or small, spiritual or mundane, pray, “By this action may the suffering of all beings be pacified, and may everyone everywhere realize the innate nature of their minds.” You should also aspire and make prayers that your ability to help beings continues to increase.

The purity understanding motivation of the Vajrayana is also known as the “skillful means motivation.” At the present time, our direct experience of the true nature is blocked because of intellectual and emotional obscurations. The universe is open and beautiful, but our habitual, dualistic patterns of body, speech, and mind prevent us from seeing this. The Vajrayana path cuts right through these hindrances; it is the direct and easy approach whereby we instantaneously experience the world the way the Buddha and other realized beings experience it.

The Vajrayana is virtually synonymous with confidence and devotion. Confidence and devotion are the lights that swiftly reveal the beautiful qualities within and all around us that have been hidden by the darkness of ignorance. Confidence and devotion are themselves pure perception. Where confidence and devotion are weak or absent altogether, skepticism, doubt, and hesitation take their place. If we indulge in them, skepticism, doubt, and hesitation feed on each other practice. Oftentimes we feel that these states are marks of intelligence, but this is not true; they are manifestations of ignorance whenever they lead us away from our true nature. Therefore, we should not give any credence to skepticism, doubt, and hesitation, but rather continue to cultivate and expand our confidence and devotion to the teachers, teaching, and our own spiritual development.”