Bodhichitta can be understood as a quality of intention, sometimes called a "great will."  This great will does not come from the ego; it is paradoxically an intention that arises through the surrender of the ego.  As the ego lets go of its assumption that it has a real understanding of what is needed in the path of awakening, it surrenders to a deeper quality of will and wisdom.  The shift from the ego's center of will to the intention of our buddha nature to awaken us for the welfare of others aligns us with a source of will far beyond our limited sense of self.  I have often described this will as a river of intention, which once stepped into becomes an undercurrent in all we do in our life.



--from Preparing for Tantra: Creating the Psychological Ground for Practice, by Bob Preece