Bodhichitta is the heart of Buddhism. It is the cure for all ills. Our self-importance and self-cherishing are so deep in all our hearts. In order to get to the root of that, in order to get to all the deep layers of self-importance and self-cherishing, we need to cultivate bodhichitta. The essence of bodhichitta is to completely replace all of that with a sense of care, a sense of love, a sense of kindness, a sense of compassion toward all other sentient beings.
— Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche , In the Presence of Masters by Reginald A. Ray