The words of Heruka and Manjushri, spoken through their Nirmanakaya (སྤྲུལ་སྐུ) emanation. Holy words that wise men paid a hefty sum for just one syllable, now brightens my desk. A reminder of my motivation.
As time pass, and information is easily available, it is easy for us to forget the true value and difficulty of listening and reading the Dharma. What we have now is something people of the past had to travel great distances to receive, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives.
When Lama Atisha was invited to Tibet to turn the wheel of Dharma, the great King Yeshe O made requests but Lama Atisha never agreed. In the end, through his nephew Jangchub O, at the price of his life, a large sum of gold and the genuine humble request that Atisha teach the people the Dharma, Lama Atisha made the trip to Tibet, revitalizing Buddhadharma in the region.
This examplary story as told in the Lamrim, as told to us students by HE Tsem Rinpoche, is a great reminder that the Dharma we receive today is through the kindness and hardships of countless selfless Bodhisattvas.
Its not about giving up ones life, for if we place our life above the Dharma then only worldly concerns fills our mind. Its not about the heaps of gold, for if we place items of relative value as supreme then our focus is not for Dharma.
Its about our attitude for Dharma, and the genuine pursuit of the absolute truth, at the cost of our ignorance, ego and attachments.
asuraearth 
Thank you Sarah for sharing. Indeed, the Dharma that we receive today is very precious. Without the kindness & hardships of countless selfless Boddhisattvas, the Dharma will no longer be available now.
What is most important now is “our attitude for Dharma, and the genuine pursuit of the absolute truth, at the cost of our ignorance, ego and attachments.” … Thank you for the reminder!