His Holiness smiled. “Of course! It is a lifetime’s task to turn the mind of enlightenment from just a nice idea into sincere conviction. When we begin, it can feel as if we’re only acting. We may think, Who am I fooling, trying to pretend I can become a buddha and lead all living beings to enlightenment? But step by step, we develop understanding. We find that others have done it already. We develop confidence in our own capabilities. We learn to become less self-focused and more other-focused.
“I once heard an interesting definition of a holy person: ‘A holy person is someone who thinks more of others than of themselves.’ This is useful, don’t you agree?”
Her Royal Highness nodded before musing, “Agreeing with the idea of bodhichitta is one thing. But remembering to put it into practice … ”
“Yes, being mindful of bodhichitta is most useful. We can apply it to so many of our actions of body, speech, and mind. Our everyday life is rich with possibilities to practice bodhichitta—and each time we do, as Buddha said, the positive impact on our mind is beyond measure.”
“Why so great, Your Holiness?”
The Dalai Lama leaned forward in his chair. “The power of virtue is much, much stronger than the power of negativity. And there is no greater virtue than bodhichitta. When we cultivate this mind we are focusing on inner qualities, not external ones. We are recollecting the well-being of others, not thinking only of the self. This is, you see, a panoramic perspective, not limited to the short-term future of this life. It goes against all our usual thoughts. We are setting our minds on a very different, very powerful trajectory.”
“You said that every day life is rich with possibilities to practice?”
His Holiness nodded. “Every time we do something nice for someone else, even if it is a routine thing they expect, we can do so with the thought ‘By this act of love, or of giving happiness, may I attain enlightenment to liberate all living beings.’ Every time we practice generosity, whether it is making a donation or nursing a cat, we can think the same thing.”
At that moment I yawned deeply. The Dalai Lama and the queen both laughed.
Then, as she looked down into my sapphire eyes, Her Royal Highness said, “It’s karma, isn’t it, that brings people and other beings into our lives?”
His Holiness nodded. “If there is a very strong connection, sometimes the same being can come back again and again.”
“Some people think it is silly to practice mantra recitation aloud for the benefit of animals.”
“No, not silly,” said His Holiness. “This can be very useful. We can create—how do you say?—a good karmic imprint on the mental continuum of a being that can ripen when it meets the right conditions in the future. There are stories in the scriptures of how meditators said mantras out loud to birds. In future lives, the birds were drawn to the Dharma and were able to find enlightenment.”
“So little Snow Lion must have some very, very good karmic imprints?”
The Dalai Lama beamed. “Undoubtedly!”
It was then that the queen said something that seemed most unusual. More unusual still, with the benefit of hindsight. “If she ever has kittens of her own,” she murmured, “it would be my very great honor to give one of them a home.”
His Holiness clapped his hands together. “Very good!” he said.
“I mean it!”
The Dalai Lama met her eyes with an expression of oceanic benevolence. “I will remember,” he said.
A few mornings later I sashayed into the executive assistants’ office. The phones were quiet, the day’s mail had yet to arrive, and during the unusual lull in activity, Chogyal had made cups of tea, which the two men were enjoying with several pieces of Scottish shortbread, courtesy of Mrs. Trinci.
“Good morning, HHC,” Chogyal greeted, as I rubbed my body against his robe-clad legs. He leaned down to stroke me.
Tenzin leaned back in his chair. “How long has she been with us, would you say?”
Chogyal shrugged. “A year?”
“Longer than that.”
“It was before Kyi Kyi.”
“Way before Kyi Kyi.” Tenzin bit into his sugardusted shortbread with diplomatic finesse. “Wasn’t it around the time of the visit from that O
xford professor?”
“I can tell you exactly.” Chogyal leaned forward to his computer and called up a calendar. “Remember? It was the day His Holiness got back from an American trip.”
“That’s right!”
“Which was thirteen, fourteen … sixteen months ago.”