Foundation Program – Barrie
Meaningful to Behold
Becoming a Friend of the World
with Gen Kelsang Suma
Sundays, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Many people have the compassionate wish to benefit others, but few understand how to bring this about effectively in their everyday lives. Bodhisattvas are friends of the world, who have such strong compassion that they are able to transform all their daily activities into methods to benefit others.
The path of the Bodhisattva was exquisitely described in the beloved poem, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by the 8th-Century Master, Shantideva. In the book, Meaningful to Behold, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso provides a remarkable commentary to this poem where he explains clearly how modern practitioners can actualize this profoundly meaningful way of life.
“Our present situation can be understood in terms of the following analogy. If a person comes across a nugget of gold but does not recognize its rarity and worth, he may easily throw it away. At this moment we have attained a precious human life far more valuable than gold, but if we do not recognize its worth we are apt to squander it in meaningless and purposeless pursuits.”
~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso