"Meditation is not on the level of the object but on that of the subject — you are the business of your meditation.
"Bodhicitta is very practical, I tell you. It’s like medicine. The
self-cherishing thought is like a nail or a sword in your heart; it
always feels uncomfortable. With bodhicitta, from the moment you begin
to open, you feel incredibly peaceful and you get tremendous pleasure
and inexhaustible energy. Forget about enlightenment — as soon as you
begin to open yourself to others, you gain tremendous pleasure and
satisfaction. Working for others is very interesting; it’s an infinite
activity. Your life becomes continuously rich and interesting.
"Historically, Shakyamuni Buddha taught the four noble truths. To
whose culture do the four noble truths belong? The essence of religion
has nothing to do with any one particular country's culture. Compassion,
love, reality — to whose culture do they belong? The people of any
country, any nation, can implement the three principal aspects of the
path, the four noble truths or the eightfold path. There's no
contradiction at all."
Букинистическое издание.