Dear friends,

The 8th century monk Shantideva, author of The Way of the Bodhisattva, offered an in-depth look at this heart-centered path through the lens of the paramitas, or great perfections. The subject of taking up such a path of total care and generosity can be found numerous times throughout the entire text and yet is perfectly summarized in one of his single poems, the "Bodhisattva Prayer for Humanity". I share this with you again:

May I be a guard for those who need protection,
A guide for those on the path,
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood.
May I be a lamp in the darkness,
A resting place for the weary,
A healing medicine for all who are sick,
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles.
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings,
May I bring sustenance and awakening,
Enduring like the earth and sky,
Until all beings are freed from sorrow,
And all are awakened.

While this piece captures the single aspiration beautifully, it is not at all surprising that we might come at it with a variety of questions about how we as individuals might have the capacity to actually see it through. This is the place to start; to simply invite ourselves to sit in the honesty of maybe not quite knowing how to proceed. Looking at the piece myself for example, I don't always know how to be a resting place for the weary. I do see however how I could be and how in the past I could have been. I can see how this attempt may have been successful and how it may have even failed. In any case, it feels worthwhile considering what that might look like in the context of real life experiences, relationships and circumstances. There is no such thing as a perfect bodhisattva. We are human and we are doing our best to live our lives according to what we deem to be true (dharma). 

I am coming off of the heels of a retreat. I extend gratitude to the gift of space, silence, and being in the presence of unspoiled nature. It is a great privilege to touch such space during these particular times endured by our beloved planet and humanity. I want to explore something near and dear to my heart, as I found my own discernment was highly elevated in this container. Perhaps it was the space to see, to feel, to know, but it dredged up a discomfort in me about what it means to be a leader or a guide in times of great confusion. In this I'll refer to the line, "a guide for those on the path". 

I began my inner inquiry around such discomfort by observing my relationships with teachers and guides over the years. There are many examples of what I'd call healthy and not so healthy attachments that have occurred. The most unhealthy not necessarily relegated to my more youthful ignorance. How easy it is to look to someone as a guide and to lose our own discernment in the process? We perceive that certain folks know where they are going and well enough even to lead others to that same place. If not careful, we can inadvertently surrender our own compass, allowing them to lead us blindly. Hear me on this, it isn't that we should not look to others for direction, insight and support. However as we do so, we keep our inner voice, our knowing or bodhi audible. This is just one example of what it means to live wise and to practice the paramita/ perfection of prajñā (nekkhamma) - wisdom (without attachment). 

I fully recognize how others may look and have looked to me as that guide. As such I have taken a particular interest in ethics and have shared a great length with meditation and yoga teacher trainees in the immense responsibility it is to share such gifts. It must be known that in these practice spaces, subtle thrones can form if we are not careful and it is therefore our job to keep them from forming or to dismantle them as they arise. In our own community it is crucial to reflect on the ways that hierarchy can form anywhere. What begins as care and responsibility can quietly turn into centralization, where authority, decision-making, and even spiritual insight can orbit around just one person. Our commitment is to continually name and dismantle these patterns where they arise. We stoke the fires of wise discernment by creating transparency, by sharing stewardship, by opening ourselves up to feedback, and in our ongoing willingness to decentralize leadership. We reaffirm that the teachings do not belong to any one individual, or lineage, and that awakening cannot be handed down. A healthy sangha is one where wisdom circulates and responsibility is shared. We are free to be fully engaged and without the need to control, grasp or attach. 

As bodhisattvas, we can practice this much more deliberately together at Heart and in all shared containers. Understand that this is not a call to dissolve structure or pretend that experience doesn't matter. It is also not a call to flatten wisdom into sameness. The task is that we are diligent and open in our ability to first name power openly and then take the necessary steps to ensure that all folks, their voices and abilities, are seen and heard. Dear community, we are responsible to one another.

Here's some inner homework for the month at hand. Take time to inquire into yourself, your patterns and beliefs:​

• When does your nervous system feel safer when others look to you?

• When does it feel safer when you look to another?

• Can you name spaces or individuals that you follow without full discernment?

• Where might you be mistaking leadership or guidance for love?

Hierarchy does not only exist in systems, it lives in our bodies! Should we not dismantle it in ourselves, we will absolutely recreate it in every space that we play a role in stewarding.

In my own heart, I see that one of the bodhisattva's greatest gifts is in becoming completely unnecessary; a confidence naturally arises in the hearts of all as the nature of reality is no longer obscured and is truly seen. 

Looking forward to sharing space in the month ahead! 

Hands to heart,

Meg Lucks

Getsu Endō | "Brilliant Moon, Circle of the Way"

Lay-Ordained Dharma Companion

The Heart Revival Sangha

The 2026 Recap: I am enthusiastic to share that this year, our community will step into a shared energy of bodhisattva formation. By this I mean that we are moving from practice as something we do, into practice as something that shapes how we live. My support will continue to guide by way of the seasons (specific to our local geography) and ground in the wisdom of the Himalayan traditions. Through these channels, and what I call a *Dharmic Almanac (practice companion), we will explore how compassion, ethical life and presence take form in our ordinary days: in our work and family, in grief and joy, in constant change and not-knowing. It's ideal to consider this not so much a curriculum to complete, but an invitation to simply walk together, allowing the rhythms of the year, our bodies and our personal commitments to train us in becoming the best versions of ourselves. 

*What is a bodhisattva (bo·dhi·satt·va) exactly? This ancient Sanskrit word points to someone who is actively aspiring and dedicated to shaking off the cobwebs of complacency so that they can live in their integrity, to the benefit of all that lives. Said simply, those doing their best to be good humans, to the benefit of all. In more traditional descriptions we hear things like "living awake", "heart-motivated" or "living in appropriate response". The traditions offer examples of these beings, portrayed diversely: as the archetypal ideal, the divine and even the earthly ordinary. Furthermore, they cross cultural bounds, names, genders and forms. This wide representation of possibilities is intended to inspire us and ultimately point us back to our great universal opportunity and responsibility of being human.