If, as a result of one’s commitment to the principles of the Bodhisattva ideal, one sees that the purpose of one’s life is to be of benefit to others, and from the depths of one’s heart there is a real sense of dedication of one’s entire life for the benefit of other sentient beings, and that kind of strong courage and principle – for that kind of person, then time doesn’t seem to matter much. Whether or not that person becomes enlightened, as far as he or she is concerned, it doesn’t make any difference, because the purpose of existence is to be of benefit to others, and if the person is able to be of service to others, then that person is really able to fulfill his or her true purpose. Such is the kind of courage and determination to altruistic principles that bodhisattvas should adopt.

The Dalai Lama in a talk at UCLA in 1997 in reference to a passage in Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland that deals with feeling discouraged over the length of time required to become “enlightened.” Thank you, The Endless Further. (via crashinglybeautiful)

And I just want to add that I appreciate the whole post, “Are We Enlightened Yet?” from David Riley and encourage you to read it.

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