So this is the final in a series of 4 where I've been thinking about some beautiful ideas in the Buddhist tradition. There is a melancholic air in the garden now. not as much light as there used to be in August. WE've come to the turn of the year. so here we go again. But I'm so happy.

I'm so happy to be talking to you. this is a strange thing, I've never got over it; the mystery of talking to you. being present with you. Sharing at this level my faith.

My faith is like the wind. Like gossamer. It comes and goes. Except when you share it. And next week I begin the big journey into the winter. I love this and if you've been with me for winter on previous years you'll know I feel hugged and loved by the cosmos when the light fades. the tree outside my door is the cosmos. that's the tentacle that connects with me. and I too am the cosmos. and so are you. me and you and the tree are just the cosmos talking to itself. And when you get into that space you could stay there forever. and finally

maybe we are eternally there. or here. or together. Forever.

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I was thinking that if you're going to deepen your insights into Buddhist philosophy, you might need more than me. So I took a book, which is special and singular and crucial for me in my path towards Buddhist wisdom. It's got a title with a lot of syllables and authored by a person with a strange name for the Western ear. Nonetheless, this is like a figure similar to Saint Augustine or Thomas Aquinas though his thought is more concise and he uses less pages to compose his thoughts. Shanti-deva is the man in question and the name of the book is The

Bodhicaryavatara, or in English, A guide to the bodhisattva way of life.

You can get it on kindle, or amazon or in hardback online. I think it's a key text in Tibetan Buddhism. I think it's something you can dip into occasionally for many years with great benefit.

And so we must look at this notion of the bodhisattva; what is that. Well it's a person who is dedicated to developing Bodhichitta. That's about the simplest way to say it. And what is Bodhichitta; it's a very simple matter, which I have really enjoyed reflecting on in this episode.

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