“It is the mind that says ‘my body,’ and it is on the basis of this idea of a single entity that it is possible to impute the notions of ‘I,’ ‘mine,’ and all the rest. To claim, moreover, that it is reasonable to attach the name ‘I’ to ‘this aggregate,’ and not to ‘another aggregate,’ is quite unfounded. Consequently, it is taught that the name ‘I’ can be applied to the whole collection of suffering beings. It is possible for the mind to think, ‘They are myself.’ And if, having identified them in this way, it habituates itself to such an orientation, the idea of ‘I’ with regard to other sentient beings will in fact arise, with the result that one will come to care for them as much as one now cares for oneself.”
~ Kunzang Pelden, “The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech”
commentary on Shantideva’s “Way of the Bodhisattva” based on the oral teachings of his teacher and uncle, Patrul Rinpoche