People talk over and over about bodhichitta, but so often their heart is quite cold.

We've been human countless times and done everything you can imagine. So we've been planting all these negative seeds, and they're going to come up.

In our endless past lives, we've all done everything, you name it, we've done it. Good, bad, intermediate.

We're not making up merit scores for ourselves. We're making up merit scores so that we can be reborn in a situation where we can really live to benefit ourselves and others.

If you're born in the higher realms, then it's too pleasant, and you don't have any incentive to practice. If you're born in the lower realms, you don't have any opportunity to practice.

Either we're aware and present, or we're not. There is no half way.

Doing retreats, getting personal teachings from time to time from inspiring teachers, all of this helps to recharge our batteries. Then we get inspired and can carry what we've gained into our daily life, which is very important.