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After I read Pema Chodron's NoTime to Lose, A Timely Guide to THe Way of the Bodhisattva, which brilliantly takes Shantideva's verses and puts them into beautiful language we can all understand and apply to our lives, I knew that this was the path for me. I read the verses over and over, they apply every day. I highly recommend it.
I've never understood the idea myself. Seems entirely superfluous - just another concept to grapple with. More conceptual baggage to take on board and to have to "believe". Another reason for sincere seekers to imagine that the Buddhadharma is beyond their scope because they can never measure up to these sublime 'saints'.
Good people are good people. They help and are kind.
Can someone help me out a little... I just read most of this thread, but I don't understand why a bodhisattva would have to put off enlightenment to help others? Is it just so he can be reincarnated back onto earth, instead of, if he was enlightened, he would go into the wherever they go?
That notion is based upon a belief that "enlightenment" is related to beliefs in "reincarnation" and has some sort of cosmic effect on whether one "reincarnates" or not.
It's unrelated to the sort of "enlightenment" (Nibbana -- the quenching of suffering in the here and now) historical Buddha taught.
Feel free to ignore superstitions and speculative metaphysical and cosmological views. The Buddha taught that it is OK to do so.
As a follower of the Shin Buddhist (Pureland) tradition, I get some interesting questions and comments from the locals here in Stockton (pop. 320,000). I got into a discussion with a Christian friend of mine recently that went like this:
"Can't you understand that unless you accept Jesus, you can't be saved?"
"Saved from what?"
"Saved from the fires of Hell, obviously."
"Ah...but you see I must go to Hell and I must stay there." He cringed.
"Why for God's sake do you have to go to Hell?"
"Simple...I've taken the vow of a bodhisattva. Do you know what that means?"
"No."
"It means that I have vowed to delay my own liberation until all other sentient beings have been liberated before me. Therefore as long as there are unliberated beings in Hell I will have to go there and labor for their liberation as well."
"...and that doesn't bother you...to be in Hell with all the losers?"
"Who says they are losers? I have compassion for those so-called 'losers' that you are so cavalierly willing to toss aside and forget about."
"Well...I'm not going to Hell for anyone."
"Really? Not even your wife or children?"
At that point he looked at me with a stunned expression and then walked away.
Can someone help me out a little... I just read most of this thread, but I don't understand why a bodhisattva would have to put off enlightenment to help others? Is it just so he can be reincarnated back onto earth, instead of, if he was enlightened, he would go into the wherever they go?
Well...
In the Mahayana traditions we believe that to pursue ones liberation for ones self is ultimately the act of someone that is selfish. The Buddha did not cloister himself away in a monistary...he was an intergral part of his community.
Can someone help me out a little... I just read most of this thread, but I don't understand why a bodhisattva would have to put off enlightenment to help others? Is it just so he can be reincarnated back onto earth, instead of, if he was enlightened, he would go into the wherever they go?
Different groups have different ideas about what a bodhisattva does. The bodhisattva who delays enlightenment is only one of three types. I'm no expert on Tibetan Buddhism, but the Tibetan groups that I know about don't believe that a bodhisattva delays enlightenment. That seems to be an East Asian thing.
The short answer to your question is yes; if bodhisattvas delay enlightenment, they do it in order to return and help other sentient beings.
In the Mahayana traditions we believe that to pursue ones liberation for ones self is ultimately the act of someone that is selfish.
We do?
A brief, sketchy history of the bodhisattva ideal: It originally developed among pre-Mahayana monks. The theory was that a bodhisattva is someone who aspires to become a Buddha, and Buddhas are people who discover the Dharma for themselves, rather than hearing it from someone else. Eventually, Buddhism will die out and someone will have to rediscover the Dharma in order to reestablish it. The people who sought their own enlightenment were not despised. They were the people who heard the Dharma from the new Buddha and put it into practice, along with teaching it to the next generation of monks. So they weren't selfish, and they made an important contribution to helping sentient beings. And that's the original bodhisattva teaching.
Mahayana absorbed a number of preexisting teachings, including the bodhisattva teachings. Over time, different groups modified teachings in different ways, so today there are some groups who believe that bodhisattvas delay enlightenment. It's possible that there are some groups who also believe that seeking your own enlightenment is selfish, but I think that's really just outdated polemics. I could be wrong and maybe someone can identify a group that believes that, but the fact is that it is not a universal Mahayana teaching that seeking your own enlightenment is selfish.
No one has been able to give me a practical example of what bodhisattvas do that sravakas don't do. I may be ignorant, but their behavior in this life seems to be identical, although some bodhisattvas have a bit of an attitude about sravakas. But that's something that the sutras warn against.
Of course, this is just the opinion of one Mahayana Buddhist.
Bodhisatva is not confined to Zen. Gautama Buddha was a bodhisatva who aspired to become a Buddha. Yet he emphasised the importance of ones awakening, 'Nibbana here and now' without postponing it. We need not postpone our emancipation until the arrival of next Buddha, Lord Maithreeya, which will take few more aeons. Only fools would do this when the current Dhamma is quite adequate for ones awakening. However if Bodhisatvas do not sacrifice their time in samsara in search of Nibbana, we would not have a dhamma for us to cross over to the 'other shore'. There are quite a few Bodhisatvas even in the present era, to continue the traditions of Buddhas. Buddhism has been distorted in many quaters, apparent in this forum too, hence this hullabaloo and confusion. If one treads on the right path, armed with right knowledge and understanding one can reach the goal or atleast reach the noble plane of sotapane. Pl. read further about Samma Sambuddha, Pacceca Buddha and Savaca Buddha. I sincerely hope this answers your query. <!-- / message --><!-- edit note -->
Buddhism has been distorted in many quarters, apparent in this forum too, hence this hullabaloo and confusion. If one treads on the right path, armed with right knowledge and understanding one can reach the goal or at least reach the noble plane of sotapane. Pl. read further about Samma Sambuddha, Pacceca Buddha and Savaca Buddha. I sincerely hope this answers your query. <!-- / message --><!-- edit note -->
Hello, Lotus! We tend to be a friendly, unquarrelsome lot. In expressing our understanding here, we are not "distorting" anything, but rather involving in dialogue in order to come to greater understanding. A closed mind shuts the door on all possibility of genuine understanding. I suggest that what you have written just above is unfair. Have you read the whole thread? Are "we" distorting the Authentic, Pure Ideal of What Buddhism Can Be and Only Can Be? And who has the right measuring stick?
I suggest that in matters of religion those with very narrow views harbor an irrational allegiance to some tradition that is more characterized by fierce "tribal" loyalty than by a sweet, civilized reasonableness.
Have you looked at the third post from May of three years ago? Palzang examines the issue. Click on the arrow below.
It's got nothing to do with hierarchies or any of that crap. It's about providing sentient beings with what they really need. A true bodhisattva would be reborn as a loaf of bread if that's what sentient beings needed at that time. Nobody ever knows most bodhisattvas. You could be sitting right next to one on the subway and never know it, or you could have walked right by one begging quarters on the sidewalk and never knew it. If you viewed everyone as a potential bodhisattva, how you ever be cruel or mean or petty to anyone ever again?
Nirvana,
I am fully conscious about the modern day 'liberal' thinking people. Distortions of his teachings even Buddha himself did quell and after his departure the distortions were quelled in Councils. And this forum is no different. Ignorance is the root of all evil in this world, whether Buddhism or not. I hope not to drag on petty arguments and I wish to close this and to deal with more important issues pertaining to dhamma. May you attain Nirvana or Nibbana in this very life but make an endeavour to get over VIEWS, which is one of the three fetters, and a stumbling block to awakening.
Hey guys,
One of the things that attracted me initially to Budhism is the Buddha generally saying that we need to work out our own salvation. No need for a "savior" or "mediator", just what we can do ourselves. Then in some of my readings, I've run into the idea of the Bodhisattva. From my understanding, it is one who forgoes enlightenment in order to help others reach it. It would seem to me that this would be unnecessary if everyone is responsible for their own path.
Though it would be awfully nice of the bodhisattva, why is it there? I've only run into this in the Zen readings I've done which is mainly what I've done. Any input would be great!
Hello. I'm a new forumist, my name is Morris. I write not well in English, excuse me.
I've understood that bodhisattva renounces possibility he don't reincarn, for the human's salvation. But it seems that isn't a sacrifice, the bodhisattva is over the sacrifice...that's so?
Hello. I'm a new forumist, my name is Morris. I write not well in English, excuse me.
I've understood that bodhisattva renounces possibility he don't reincarn, for the human's salvation. But it seems that isn't a sacrifice, the bodhisattva is over the sacrifice...that's so?
Hello Pigbrother,
Don't worry about your English. Half the people here don't understand what I'm saying either LOL
Perhaps the problem is with our notion of "sacrifice". It is almost impossible for us to separate the notion of sacrifice from the notion of reluctance. It seems to be part of the nature of sacrifice that we avoid it, that it is bad. But that is far from the original meaning which centres on the notion of the 'holy' act. In a sense it is the same as "sanctify" but through giving something up.
To the Buddha himself, it was a decision that he made: to Turn the Wheel of Dharma for the benefit of all beings and spend decades more before Nirvana. Having weighed the question for a time after his Enlightenment under that old tree, he voted for us with his feet and wal;ked towards us. The same concept underlies the Christian message of the Incarnation.
I am interested that when I read, see or hear about sacrificing faiths, groups or cults, in those where human sacrifice was common, the 'victims' were so often willing - and thus not 'victims' at all but 'volunteers'. What we object to, in the hecatombs and ritual slaughterings is that no one thinks to ask the cow or goat. Or, even if they do, they don't understand or obey the answer.
We praise human volunteers but we are afraid of death that we can no longer see that there may be things more important than being "blown out". At the very heart of the bodhisattva ideal is a love for and commitment to all beings. That is what makes sacred, what transforms the dukkha of living into the means of liberation for all.
I always thought a Bodhisattva was anyone, anywhere, or anything that helped you along your path. I never thought it was some kind of god or anything...just a method to point you in the right direction. For example when you hear a bell ring in the direction of a sign you had been looking for for hours or the toddler who hands you a piece of candy that you've never met before. Something or someone that forces you to pause for a moment and consider the now.
Bodhisattva's are everywhere you just can't see them sometimes. They are the people who teach the dharma, they are your children, they are the turtle in the pond in your backyard, and even the mound of dough your forming into a loaf of bread.
That pic has an interesting history, Jer. It was taken in Parping, Nepal, at Guru Rinpoche's cave there (it has his handprint at the entrance). It is also the place where the terton (treasure revealer) who ordained me, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, revealed the Vajrakilaya practice we do, and in fact we were practicing it when this picture was taken, so it was a very auspicious moment. It was taken by Mannie Garcia, who accompanied us on the trip. You may not recognize his name, but he was the photographer who took the original picture that was used for the famous poster of Obama called Hope that stirred up a controversy when the poster artist didn't bother to get copyright permission to use the picture. Mannie's daytime job is as a photojournalist for AP. So there's a little history in that picture. But I basically just like it. Makes me look almost human! (you should see my driver's license picture!)
Yeah, well, if everyone was on the Path I guess you might have an argument. However, how many people are actually on the Path? Hmmm? Billions? Millions? Couple dozen? Not many, compared to the countless trillions of sentient beings just on this little hunk of rock. So bodhisattvas dedicate themselves to helping bring as many of these guys onto the Path as they possibly can, even foregoing their own enlightenment so that others can precede them. After all, there are so many more sentient beings than just us. Why should we be so special? Of course, ultimately your enlightenment is up to you. Nobody can do it for you. But the bodhisattvas are there to give you a hand up so that you even know that something like a Path even exists.
Like our Tara's Babies project - nobody would have lifted a finger to help save those poor dogs after Katrina except a few crazy bodhisattvas (not just from our temple, but a lot of places). Does it matter that they did? I mean, they're just dogs, right? But they're also sentient beings just like us with the exact same Buddhanature we have. What we believe is that by making this connection with these particular sentient beings, they will have the opportunity at some future date, most likely in some future life, to actually practice the Dharma and become enlightened. Maybe they wouldn't have had that chance without that connection.
Do you see what I'm talking about? It's nothing to do with hierarchies or any of that crap. It's about providing sentient beings with what they really need. A true bodhisattva would be reborn as a loaf of bread if that's what sentient beings needed at that time. Nobody ever knows most bodhisattvas. You could be sitting right next to one on the subway and never know it, or you could have walked right by one begging quarters on the sidewalk and never knew it. If you viewed everyone as a potential bodhisattva, how you ever be cruel or mean or petty to anyone ever again?
Palzang
I 100% agree with you - and your tara babies project sounds amazing (I'm a total dog person and have always had a dream of opening my own buddhist dog santuary!)
I can only tell you that once I began to really study what the Buddha taught that I began to feel a lot more at peace with myself and the nasty, wicked world out there. It's like I actually began to understand what's really going on, which you'd never figure out on your own in a million years. Everything makes a lot more sense now than it ever did before. So that's why I harp on it like I do because I'd like everyone to be able to do the same instead of suffering. That's all.
Palzang
I really look forward to reaching that same mindset.
On the subject of Bodhisattva - i agree with those saying that they are beings which help because that is the way they are. I think of Tara, a woman who declared to the patriarchal society and monks that she would go against all traditions and achieve enlightenment in a womans body, and when she eventually did she looked back, saw how many beings were still suffering and realised as she was all beings and all beings were her, that she was still suffering and as such refused enlightenment to help all those beings. I think someone said "not until the last blade of grass is enlightened shall i become enlightened".
I personally think being a bodhisattva is an excellent thing, and kinda think that just focusing on geting yourself out of samsara is kinda selfish in a way (apologies if i offend anyone). But yeah thats just my foolish view
This is from my good friend Dharmakara. I was truly humbled when I read these words:
''An Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Way of Life The principle that there is no distinction between doctrine and practice constitutes the basis of all Buddhist thought, no matter how much it may be lost in sectarian Buddhist ideas.
The Buddhist spiritual experience will reveal itself neither to the scholar nor to the conversationalist, but only to the man or woman who makes the central conceptions of Buddhist thought the basis of their mental activity, the subject of their deepest meditation, and the foundation of all their actions.
Every scriptural point is valid only to the extent that we engage it, embody it in our own learning and experience, upon the road to awakening.
Neither the nature nor the reality of the Bodhisattva Sangha, the grand fraternity which devotes its entire effort with one mind, one will and one over-riding thought, to the welfare and liberation of all beings, can be grasped by other means except by attunement to one's inner nature and nurture by a full joy and natural awe before the idea that there is no human aim higher than to understand the truth.
I know that every sacred pledge should be the result of deep thought and true feeling, and I will later reflect in silence, enriched by contemplation, and carry this pledge over into daily manifestation.
I know that there is no external fount to which I direct that pledge.
Thus I direct that pledge not to human creatures or an external being, but to the Buddha-nature that is being awakened within me.
I know that the essential nobility, the germ of Buddhahood is within myself, and will dissolve any mental inhibiting view of myself that masks that nobility and will help all others to do so.
I know that this pledge can be taken by anyone at any time, but the level of thought and intensity with which it is taken will determine the force and reliability of its execution.
To be able to take one's place in the glorious company of Bodhisattvas is not to assume that one can, purely on one's own, fulfil this exalted aim. But once one has truly affirmed it, no other aim has any comparable significance.
The Liberation of All Sentient Creatures
Although I pledge to save every being, I recognise what the Buddha declared, that there are no individual sentient beings to be saved.
Thus I understand that I must develop a view of the essential unity of all things and must see that unity reflected in every apparently separate living creature.
I understand that while I see fragmented consciousness on the worldly plane, due to the fragmentation of my own consciousness, I will look yet more profoundly and see the thread that unites all consciousness.
I understand that the apparent individualized consciousness reflected in the individual natures is the universal consciousness of all things.
I understand that the Bodhisattva recognising the higher within himself thereby recognises the higher within others.
The Unattainable
I understand that the ideal of helping all sentient creatures is an ideal that cannot ever be fully attained and yet I will throw my whole being into its achievement.
I will see my Bodhisattva pledge as a pledge to carry the flame of the truth of the Dharma and to transmit that flame to all who are ready to receive. Thus one day all may be liberated. This is my pledge to save all sentient creatures.
While alive I will recognise of the connection between the moment of birth and the moment of death, of the intimate relationship between the pain of one human being and the sorrow of all humanity.
Difficulties
I understand that the prospect of such a vow is naturally perplexing to the lower mind, which is almost totally ignorant of the priorities of the true nature and knows very little about this life.
I know that if this pledge is taken prematurely, lacking this sense of necessity, it will precipitate difficulties, generate a sense of culpability with transgression, generate tortured anxiety about the nature of my personal path, involve futile comparisons and contrasts with other human beings, make me feel isolated and alone. But out of all these Mara generated experiences there will come a future ripeness.
I know that those who have well traveled the Bodhisattva path, who have taken the vow again and again, know that soon after one has made such an affirmation, one is going to be tested. I shall overcome.
Serving
I perceive that my own true interest and liberation is bound up in serving others to the utmost, and I will develop the supreme wisdom to know at any given time, in any particular context, what the true self-interest of another is.
I perceive that living correctly in accord with the Dharma as a Bodhisattva, is doubtless the noblest endeavour conceivable for any human being anywhere on earth in the past present or the future.
I perceive that the Bodhisattva is more than a human creature with a generous heart. It is the becoming of an ideal. Thus the potential life of others can be reflected in me. My Buddha-nature is to be found in every man and universal brotherhood must by my behaviour be seen to be attainable by every human creature that is aware.
I perceive that this ideal is not imposed as an idea. The Bodhisattva state is a natural state within each human creature which has been covered with a blanket of Ignorance. I shall remove that blanket of ignorance.
I perceive that I must look for the potential virtue and correctness in others, and see that there does exist so much potential for the common good in others, that I will be capable of handling judgements of their limitations.
I perceive that it is important not to forget our true human heritage, our real nature and, thus, will travel securely upon the Eightfold Path, free from the pressures of social and personal relationships.
Imperfection
I understand that there is another kind of suffering, both more tragic and nobler. It is the suffering for others. I see that I must helplessly observe countless humans destroy themselves and one another, committing useless acts of physical and psychological violence, yet find no individual fault in them.
I know that the Bodhisattva is imperfect and suffers frustration, but I must stand and watch this, and not be caught into egoistic suffering.
I know that I must stand as witness to seemingly perpetual personal degradation and yet see the untouched purity of our Buddha-nature.
Sacrifice
I know that I must live in this world, seeking the true interest of every sentient creature, in detachment from clinging and craving the world of the senses.
I know that the Bodhisattva path requires the sacrifice of Identity, beginning with universal mind and ending with the smallest element of existence. This sacrifice and compassion is the same thing.
Every word and each day is like an incarnation. Thus I will allow myself to be reborn in wisdom each second with my mind always open and receptive to the dharma.
The Recognition of the Bodhisattva Pledge
I recognise that a human being with a wavering mind and a fickle heart may utter this pledge, but I will authentically affirm it in the name of my true Buddha-nature. Thus I will develop the full potency of this pledge and practice restraint and thereby established a high degree of reliability in my life and human relationships.
I recognise the power of this pledge and seek its realisation, but know that failure carries no guilt or shame, it carries even stronger resolution after apparent failure to succeed, forgetting the folly of the past.
I recognise the possibility of failure and the possibility of forgetfulness, but somewhere deep in myself I wish to be measured and tested by this pledge.
I recognise that this pledge is unconditional, and releases the spiritual will, and with it brings my highest self-respect and respect for others who have taken this pledge. I will open my wisdom-seeking mind, the seed of awakening.
I recognise that a drop of water is no different than the ocean and that a candle flame is no different than the sun; the small mirrors the large.
Thus, my pledge mirrors the vibrant pledge of all Bodhisattvas. Thus offered, it is powerful and supreme.
I recognise that persons with greater wisdom than myself have taken precisely such a vow and have affirmed this pledge time and time again. Therefore, with this pledge I am, however frail, however feeble, a part of the family of those who are the self-chosen, united with all unknown but unvanquished friends of the human race and members of the noble family.
Bodhisattva Qualities
I will make many discoveries upon this Bodhisattva path, but the hardest lesson to learn is patience and persistence. This is a pledge in favour of selfless service, and it cannot ever be premature. It will develop that patience and persistence.
I know that inexhaustible are the ways of compassion of wise beings. True Compassion cannot really be weighed or measured.
I will reject mundane compassion and develop the true Compassion that is not pity, empathy, or sorrow for others, but an enlightened application of the energy of Compassion that is understanding and joyful in the intention to help others help themselves.
I will develop the true Benevolence that is not social charity or hedonistic giving, but a giving in which there is a sacrifice of my own Identity as a giver.
I will develop that Benevolent love also in my capacity to receive without the Identity of a receiver, because I know that sometimes it is difficult to know how to receive both the Benevolence and Compassion of others.
I will develop true Happiness that is selfless and comes from within, being unaffected by the world of the senses. Thus the aura of constant well-being will surround me..
I will develop a true Equanimity in front of criticism and assaults upon both my apparent body and mind.
I will develop a true Equanimity in the face of praise and rewards.
I will develop Equanimity, which is not Intellectual indifference.
Thus if someone helps me or harms me may I regard that person as my best teacher.
I will remain constantly aware that all creatures feel pain and that human creatures suffer, though many do not see that suffering in the false happiness of the senses that they experience. Thus I will help all, being tolerant of human imperfections and lack of vision.
I will develop true introspection, free critical enquiry and growth for the benefit of all sentient creatures.
I will develop the wisdom to see through false worldly differences based upon Duality, such as capable versus inept, physical versus mental, the intelligent versus the unintelligent or self versus others. I will develop Prajna as the "non-discriminating mind," where the clinging to the dual notion of self and other objects is absent.
The Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Pledge
I commit myself to correct Attitudes with Joy, correct Intentions with Compassion, correct Actions with Benevolent love, and Equanimity with Bliss for the welfare of all beings and will gradually establish myself in the practice of a Bodhisattva.
I will not violate the purity of this faultless, noble Family.
Everywhere and always will I live and strive for the liberation of every creature throughout the world from the bonds of conditioned existence.
Everywhere and always I will respect the abundance of nature, both animals and other life forms, observing the natural law of the Dharma as a guardian without seeking dominance.
The Sugatas of former times committed themselves to the Bodhisattva path, gradually establishing themselves in the practice of a Bodhisattva. So, I too commit myself to growth upon this path for the welfare of all beings and will gradually establish myself in the practice of a Bodhisattva.''
Comments
Welcome, Scott!
Palzang
Good people are good people. They help and are kind.
Doesn't make sense, does it....?
That notion is based upon a belief that "enlightenment" is related to beliefs in "reincarnation" and has some sort of cosmic effect on whether one "reincarnates" or not.
It's unrelated to the sort of "enlightenment" (Nibbana -- the quenching of suffering in the here and now) historical Buddha taught.
Feel free to ignore superstitions and speculative metaphysical and cosmological views. The Buddha taught that it is OK to do so.
Palzang
"Can't you understand that unless you accept Jesus, you can't be saved?"
"Saved from what?"
"Saved from the fires of Hell, obviously."
"Ah...but you see I must go to Hell and I must stay there." He cringed.
"Why for God's sake do you have to go to Hell?"
"Simple...I've taken the vow of a bodhisattva. Do you know what that means?"
"No."
"It means that I have vowed to delay my own liberation until all other sentient beings have been liberated before me. Therefore as long as there are unliberated beings in Hell I will have to go there and labor for their liberation as well."
"...and that doesn't bother you...to be in Hell with all the losers?"
"Who says they are losers? I have compassion for those so-called 'losers' that you are so cavalierly willing to toss aside and forget about."
"Well...I'm not going to Hell for anyone."
"Really? Not even your wife or children?"
At that point he looked at me with a stunned expression and then walked away.
I was merely making a point, was I too harsh?
Well...
In the Mahayana traditions we believe that to pursue ones liberation for ones self is ultimately the act of someone that is selfish. The Buddha did not cloister himself away in a monistary...he was an intergral part of his community.
Different groups have different ideas about what a bodhisattva does. The bodhisattva who delays enlightenment is only one of three types. I'm no expert on Tibetan Buddhism, but the Tibetan groups that I know about don't believe that a bodhisattva delays enlightenment. That seems to be an East Asian thing.
The short answer to your question is yes; if bodhisattvas delay enlightenment, they do it in order to return and help other sentient beings.
We do?
A brief, sketchy history of the bodhisattva ideal: It originally developed among pre-Mahayana monks. The theory was that a bodhisattva is someone who aspires to become a Buddha, and Buddhas are people who discover the Dharma for themselves, rather than hearing it from someone else. Eventually, Buddhism will die out and someone will have to rediscover the Dharma in order to reestablish it. The people who sought their own enlightenment were not despised. They were the people who heard the Dharma from the new Buddha and put it into practice, along with teaching it to the next generation of monks. So they weren't selfish, and they made an important contribution to helping sentient beings. And that's the original bodhisattva teaching.
Mahayana absorbed a number of preexisting teachings, including the bodhisattva teachings. Over time, different groups modified teachings in different ways, so today there are some groups who believe that bodhisattvas delay enlightenment. It's possible that there are some groups who also believe that seeking your own enlightenment is selfish, but I think that's really just outdated polemics. I could be wrong and maybe someone can identify a group that believes that, but the fact is that it is not a universal Mahayana teaching that seeking your own enlightenment is selfish.
No one has been able to give me a practical example of what bodhisattvas do that sravakas don't do. I may be ignorant, but their behavior in this life seems to be identical, although some bodhisattvas have a bit of an attitude about sravakas. But that's something that the sutras warn against.
Of course, this is just the opinion of one Mahayana Buddhist.
Hello, Lotus! We tend to be a friendly, unquarrelsome lot. In expressing our understanding here, we are not "distorting" anything, but rather involving in dialogue in order to come to greater understanding. A closed mind shuts the door on all possibility of genuine understanding. I suggest that what you have written just above is unfair. Have you read the whole thread? Are "we" distorting the Authentic, Pure Ideal of What Buddhism Can Be and Only Can Be? And who has the right measuring stick?
I suggest that in matters of religion those with very narrow views harbor an irrational allegiance to some tradition that is more characterized by fierce "tribal" loyalty than by a sweet, civilized reasonableness.
Have you looked at the third post from May of three years ago? Palzang examines the issue. Click on the arrow below.
I am fully conscious about the modern day 'liberal' thinking people. Distortions of his teachings even Buddha himself did quell and after his departure the distortions were quelled in Councils. And this forum is no different. Ignorance is the root of all evil in this world, whether Buddhism or not. I hope not to drag on petty arguments and I wish to close this and to deal with more important issues pertaining to dhamma. May you attain Nirvana or Nibbana in this very life but make an endeavour to get over VIEWS, which is one of the three fetters, and a stumbling block to awakening.
Hello. I'm a new forumist, my name is Morris. I write not well in English, excuse me.
I've understood that bodhisattva renounces possibility he don't reincarn, for the human's salvation. But it seems that isn't a sacrifice, the bodhisattva is over the sacrifice...that's so?
Hello Pigbrother,
Don't worry about your English. Half the people here don't understand what I'm saying either LOL
Perhaps the problem is with our notion of "sacrifice". It is almost impossible for us to separate the notion of sacrifice from the notion of reluctance. It seems to be part of the nature of sacrifice that we avoid it, that it is bad. But that is far from the original meaning which centres on the notion of the 'holy' act. In a sense it is the same as "sanctify" but through giving something up.
To the Buddha himself, it was a decision that he made: to Turn the Wheel of Dharma for the benefit of all beings and spend decades more before Nirvana. Having weighed the question for a time after his Enlightenment under that old tree, he voted for us with his feet and wal;ked towards us. The same concept underlies the Christian message of the Incarnation.
I am interested that when I read, see or hear about sacrificing faiths, groups or cults, in those where human sacrifice was common, the 'victims' were so often willing - and thus not 'victims' at all but 'volunteers'. What we object to, in the hecatombs and ritual slaughterings is that no one thinks to ask the cow or goat. Or, even if they do, they don't understand or obey the answer.
We praise human volunteers but we are afraid of death that we can no longer see that there may be things more important than being "blown out". At the very heart of the bodhisattva ideal is a love for and commitment to all beings. That is what makes sacred, what transforms the dukkha of living into the means of liberation for all.
Yeah, like me! Now, where's my dictionary? That was hecatombs... Hmmm...
Palzang
Since the demise (q.v.) of readers' Digest I have assumed the task of enlarging our vocabularies.
And who says there's no such thing as bodhisattvas?!
Palzang
Great new pic. You look wiser than the last one, but we know better!
Look for new pics of me by the weekend. I'm a tad grayer on the sides and no more wise, just a bit more self aware!
Bodhisattva's are everywhere you just can't see them sometimes. They are the people who teach the dharma, they are your children, they are the turtle in the pond in your backyard, and even the mound of dough your forming into a loaf of bread.
I have never been one to doubt this.
That pic has an interesting history, Jer. It was taken in Parping, Nepal, at Guru Rinpoche's cave there (it has his handprint at the entrance). It is also the place where the terton (treasure revealer) who ordained me, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, revealed the Vajrakilaya practice we do, and in fact we were practicing it when this picture was taken, so it was a very auspicious moment. It was taken by Mannie Garcia, who accompanied us on the trip. You may not recognize his name, but he was the photographer who took the original picture that was used for the famous poster of Obama called Hope that stirred up a controversy when the poster artist didn't bother to get copyright permission to use the picture. Mannie's daytime job is as a photojournalist for AP. So there's a little history in that picture. But I basically just like it. Makes me look almost human! (you should see my driver's license picture!)
Palzang
I 100% agree with you - and your tara babies project sounds amazing (I'm a total dog person and have always had a dream of opening my own buddhist dog santuary!)
I really look forward to reaching that same mindset.
On the subject of Bodhisattva - i agree with those saying that they are beings which help because that is the way they are. I think of Tara, a woman who declared to the patriarchal society and monks that she would go against all traditions and achieve enlightenment in a womans body, and when she eventually did she looked back, saw how many beings were still suffering and realised as she was all beings and all beings were her, that she was still suffering and as such refused enlightenment to help all those beings. I think someone said "not until the last blade of grass is enlightened shall i become enlightened".
I personally think being a bodhisattva is an excellent thing, and kinda think that just focusing on geting yourself out of samsara is kinda selfish in a way (apologies if i offend anyone). But yeah thats just my foolish view
Palzang
No, really, this has been a very interesting thread of discussion on subject matter I've been interested in learning more about.
But maybe I should eat smaller bites next time.
Ruby Faye
is that bodhisattva?
''An Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Way of Life
The principle that there is no distinction between doctrine and practice constitutes the basis of all Buddhist thought, no matter how much it may be lost in sectarian Buddhist ideas.
The Buddhist spiritual experience will reveal itself neither to the scholar nor to the conversationalist, but only to the man or woman who makes the central conceptions of Buddhist thought the basis of their mental activity, the subject of their deepest meditation, and the foundation of all their actions.
Every scriptural point is valid only to the extent that we engage it, embody it in our own learning and experience, upon the road to awakening.
Neither the nature nor the reality of the Bodhisattva Sangha, the grand fraternity which devotes its entire effort with one mind, one will and one over-riding thought, to the welfare and liberation of all beings, can be grasped by other means except by attunement to one's inner nature and nurture by a full joy and natural awe before the idea that there is no human aim higher than to understand the truth.
I know that every sacred pledge should be the result of deep thought and true feeling, and I will later reflect in silence, enriched by contemplation, and carry this pledge over into daily manifestation.
I know that there is no external fount to which I direct that pledge.
Thus I direct that pledge not to human creatures or an external being, but to the Buddha-nature that is being awakened within me.
I know that the essential nobility, the germ of Buddhahood is within myself, and will dissolve any mental inhibiting view of myself that masks that nobility and will help all others to do so.
I know that this pledge can be taken by anyone at any time, but the level of thought and intensity with which it is taken will determine the force and reliability of its execution.
To be able to take one's place in the glorious company of Bodhisattvas is not to assume that one can, purely on one's own, fulfil this exalted aim. But once one has truly affirmed it, no other aim has any comparable significance.
The Liberation of All Sentient Creatures
Although I pledge to save every being, I recognise what the Buddha declared, that there are no individual sentient beings to be saved.
Thus I understand that I must develop a view of the essential unity of all things and must see that unity reflected in every apparently separate living creature.
I understand that while I see fragmented consciousness on the worldly plane, due to the fragmentation of my own consciousness, I will look yet more profoundly and see the thread that unites all consciousness.
I understand that the apparent individualized consciousness reflected in the individual natures is the universal consciousness of all things.
I understand that the Bodhisattva recognising the higher within himself thereby recognises the higher within others.
The Unattainable
I understand that the ideal of helping all sentient creatures is an ideal that cannot ever be fully attained and yet I will throw my whole being into its achievement.
I will see my Bodhisattva pledge as a pledge to carry the flame of the truth of the Dharma and to transmit that flame to all who are ready to receive. Thus one day all may be liberated. This is my pledge to save all sentient creatures.
While alive I will recognise of the connection between the moment of birth and the moment of death, of the intimate relationship between the pain of one human being and the sorrow of all humanity.
Difficulties
I understand that the prospect of such a vow is naturally perplexing to the lower mind, which is almost totally ignorant of the priorities of the true nature and knows very little about this life.
I know that if this pledge is taken prematurely, lacking this sense of necessity, it will precipitate difficulties, generate a sense of culpability with transgression, generate tortured anxiety about the nature of my personal path, involve futile comparisons and contrasts with other human beings, make me feel isolated and alone. But out of all these Mara generated experiences there will come a future ripeness.
I know that those who have well traveled the Bodhisattva path, who have taken the vow again and again, know that soon after one has made such an affirmation, one is going to be tested. I shall overcome.
Serving
I perceive that my own true interest and liberation is bound up in serving others to the utmost, and I will develop the supreme wisdom to know at any given time, in any particular context, what the true self-interest of another is.
I perceive that living correctly in accord with the Dharma as a Bodhisattva, is doubtless the noblest endeavour conceivable for any human being anywhere on earth in the past present or the future.
I perceive that the Bodhisattva is more than a human creature with a generous heart. It is the becoming of an ideal. Thus the potential life of others can be reflected in me. My Buddha-nature is to be found in every man and universal brotherhood must by my behaviour be seen to be attainable by every human creature that is aware.
I perceive that this ideal is not imposed as an idea. The Bodhisattva state is a natural state within each human creature which has been covered with a blanket of Ignorance. I shall remove that blanket of ignorance.
I perceive that I must look for the potential virtue and correctness in others, and see that there does exist so much potential for the common good in others, that I will be capable of handling judgements of their limitations.
I perceive that it is important not to forget our true human heritage, our real nature and, thus, will travel securely upon the Eightfold Path, free from the pressures of social and personal relationships.
Imperfection
I understand that there is another kind of suffering, both more tragic and nobler. It is the suffering for others. I see that I must helplessly observe countless humans destroy themselves and one another, committing useless acts of physical and psychological violence, yet find no individual fault in them.
I know that the Bodhisattva is imperfect and suffers frustration, but I must stand and watch this, and not be caught into egoistic suffering.
I know that I must stand as witness to seemingly perpetual personal degradation and yet see the untouched purity of our Buddha-nature.
Sacrifice
I know that I must live in this world, seeking the true interest of every sentient creature, in detachment from clinging and craving the world of the senses.
I know that the Bodhisattva path requires the sacrifice of Identity, beginning with universal mind and ending with the smallest element of existence. This sacrifice and compassion is the same thing.
Every word and each day is like an incarnation. Thus I will allow myself to be reborn in wisdom each second with my mind always open and receptive to the dharma.
The Recognition of the Bodhisattva Pledge
I recognise that a human being with a wavering mind and a fickle heart may utter this pledge, but I will authentically affirm it in the name of my true Buddha-nature. Thus I will develop the full potency of this pledge and practice restraint and thereby established a high degree of reliability in my life and human relationships.
I recognise the power of this pledge and seek its realisation, but know that failure carries no guilt or shame, it carries even stronger resolution after apparent failure to succeed, forgetting the folly of the past.
I recognise the possibility of failure and the possibility of forgetfulness, but somewhere deep in myself I wish to be measured and tested by this pledge.
I recognise that this pledge is unconditional, and releases the spiritual will, and with it brings my highest self-respect and respect for others who have taken this pledge. I will open my wisdom-seeking mind, the seed of awakening.
I recognise that a drop of water is no different than the ocean and that a candle flame is no different than the sun; the small mirrors the large.
Thus, my pledge mirrors the vibrant pledge of all Bodhisattvas. Thus offered, it is powerful and supreme.
I recognise that persons with greater wisdom than myself have taken precisely such a vow and have affirmed this pledge time and time again. Therefore, with this pledge I am, however frail, however feeble, a part of the family of those who are the self-chosen, united with all unknown but unvanquished friends of the human race and members of the noble family.
Bodhisattva Qualities
I will make many discoveries upon this Bodhisattva path, but the hardest lesson to learn is patience and persistence. This is a pledge in favour of selfless service, and it cannot ever be premature. It will develop that patience and persistence.
I know that inexhaustible are the ways of compassion of wise beings. True Compassion cannot really be weighed or measured.
I will reject mundane compassion and develop the true Compassion that is not pity, empathy, or sorrow for others, but an enlightened application of the energy of Compassion that is understanding and joyful in the intention to help others help themselves.
I will develop the true Benevolence that is not social charity or hedonistic giving, but a giving in which there is a sacrifice of my own Identity as a giver.
I will develop that Benevolent love also in my capacity to receive without the Identity of a receiver, because I know that sometimes it is difficult to know how to receive both the Benevolence and Compassion of others.
I will develop true Happiness that is selfless and comes from within, being unaffected by the world of the senses. Thus the aura of constant well-being will surround me..
I will develop a true Equanimity in front of criticism and assaults upon both my apparent body and mind.
I will develop a true Equanimity in the face of praise and rewards.
I will develop Equanimity, which is not Intellectual indifference.
Thus if someone helps me or harms me may I regard that person as my best teacher.
I will remain constantly aware that all creatures feel pain and that human creatures suffer, though many do not see that suffering in the false happiness of the senses that they experience. Thus I will help all, being tolerant of human imperfections and lack of vision.
I will develop true introspection, free critical enquiry and growth for the benefit of all sentient creatures.
I will develop the wisdom to see through false worldly differences based upon Duality, such as capable versus inept, physical versus mental, the intelligent versus the unintelligent or self versus others. I will develop Prajna as the "non-discriminating mind," where the clinging to the dual notion of self and other objects is absent.
The Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Pledge
I commit myself to correct Attitudes with Joy, correct Intentions with Compassion, correct Actions with Benevolent love, and Equanimity with Bliss for the welfare of all beings and will gradually establish myself in the practice of a Bodhisattva.
I will not violate the purity of this faultless, noble Family.
Everywhere and always will I live and strive for the liberation of every creature throughout the world from the bonds of conditioned existence.
Everywhere and always I will respect the abundance of nature, both animals and other life forms, observing the natural law of the Dharma as a guardian without seeking dominance.
The Sugatas of former times committed themselves to the Bodhisattva path, gradually establishing themselves in the practice of a Bodhisattva. So, I too commit myself to growth upon this path for the welfare of all beings and will gradually establish myself in the practice of a Bodhisattva.''