Stages of the Path: The Bodhisattva Vow

'Taking refuge is the mark of being a Buddhist; it's the action one takes which brings one into connection with the three jewels. From then on one can say one is, yes a Buddhist. What makes one a follower of the Mahayana the great vehicle path is generating what we call bodhicitta, a Sanskrit word which can be translated into English roughly speaking as the thought of enlightenment. Somebody who develops this intention, the bodhicitta, the wish to become a Buddha, to become fully awakened for the benefit not just of themselves but most importantly of all beings, it is somebody who entered into the great vehicle.'