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How does one help sentient beings to attain enlightenment?
Jainarayan
Veteran
I'm having a hard time putting this into words today, so I'm going to quote from that bastion of infinite knowledge, Wikipedia.
Ananda asked: Would it be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is a part of our practice?"
The Buddha replied: "No. It would not be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is part of our practice. It would be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice."
Bodhicitta is a compassion for all beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently-existing self.So just how does one help other sentient beings? How do the bodhisattvas and buddhas help us? :scratch: Is it as described in this section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva#Bodhisattva_ideal
This spark of compassion motivates one to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as quickly as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings. Bodhicitta is a felt need to replace others' suffering with bliss. Since the ultimate end of suffering is moksha, bodhicitta necessarily involves a motivation to help others to awaken (to find bodhi).
One for whom bodhicitta is the prime motivation for all actions is called a bodhisattva.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta#Spontaneity
Mahāyāna Buddhism encourages everyone to become bodhisattvas and to take the bodhisattva vows. With these vows, one makes the promise to work for the complete enlightenment of all sentient beings by practicing the six perfections.[16] Indelibly entwined with the bodhisattva vow is merit transference (pariṇāmanā).I may be answering my own question, but are we saying that a bodhisattva practices the Six Perfections absolutely perfectly, and strives to accrue merit in order to give it to others? If so, then this is the basis of our practice:
Ananda asked: Would it be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is a part of our practice?"
The Buddha replied: "No. It would not be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is part of our practice. It would be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice."
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Comments
Looking... brb...
I originally found it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion#Buddhism but I come to find it plastered all over the internet, propagated word for word, with no source cited. I fear you are right that it is translated differently and therefore changed in meaning. It's a nice sentiment, but unfortunately it adds to the corpus of misquotes attributed to the Buddha and others in history.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.002.than.html
SN 45.2 PTS: S v 2 CDB ii 1524Upaddha Sutta: Half (of the Holy Life)
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was living among the Sakyans. Now there is a Sakyan town named Sakkara. There Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, "This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie."
[1]"Don't say that, Ananda. Don't say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path."And how does a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, develop & pursue the noble eightfold path? There is the case where a monk develops right view dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. He develops right resolve... right speech... right action... right livelihood... right effort... right mindfulness... right concentration dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment.
This is how a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, develops & pursues the noble eightfold path."And through this line of reasoning one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life: It is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair.
It is through this line of reasoning that one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life."
So far, I see two uses of this concept: intensely wishing everyone well now and working on becoming enlightened, so that in 50 years, 100 lifetimes or a million kalpas you will be capable of helping other reach enlightenment. I don't agree with this standpoint, so it colors my description of it. People who seem to espouse this position also de-emphasize good works because building a school, feeding the poor, building houses to house the indigent, etc isn't doing anything to enlighten them (you're just prolonging & exacerbating samsara-- aren't houses, food, computers for educational purposes in public schools and so on-- aren't they fetters?) & since you aren't enlightened yet you're doing wrong-- an enlightened person would do something different, the Boddhisatvas seem to be superman-like powerful. Amida seems to be able to get people out of samsara effortlessly, where as our good deeds are pale in comparison. You can be an intensely nice person and not raise a finger to reduce the misery of samsara for those around you.
And the other use of bodhicitta is to do good works & meritorious deeds for the benefit of others (including feeding hungry people--not just monks--, building houses and , or more narrowly, maybe just helping others become enlightened by demonstrating the efficacy of the Buddhist path and helping them get on that path-- maybe by donating cushions to prison outreach programs). I'm a stick in the mud and like this version of Bodhicitta. Wikipedia seems to think that this good-works form of Buddhism is typical of Chinese Buddhism: ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merit_(Buddhism)#Merit-making
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.002.than.html
SN 45.2 PTS: S v 2 CDB ii 1524Upaddha Sutta: Half (of the Holy Life)
Ah yes, I have seen that. I like that site. It never occurred to me that the quote I used might have been taken from that. Thanks for sharing it.
This sounds like rhetorical hyperbola. (All I ever eat nowadays is rice, rice and rice== I eat more rice than I'd like, although I eat other things, too.) cf, "Well, ananda, there are 43 important things to practice, among them compassion, and...and..and.."-- just isn't as quotable.
Bodhicitta is a compassion for all beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently-existing self.
This spark of compassion motivates one to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as quickly as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings. Bodhichitta is a felt need to replace others' suffering with bliss. Since the ultimate end of suffering is moksha, bodhicitta necessarily involves a motivation to help others to awaken (to find bodhi).
One for whom bodhicitta is the prime motivation for all actions is called a bodhisattva.
---
Just so Jain. To become a Buddha in this lifetime in order to help end the suffering of others-that is the practice. Putting Buddha-hood off for 3 eons seems like a cop out to me. If the practice is for self then the practice is empty of virtue for the self is empty of
inherent existence. What do practioners working to save self from hell, think that means?
Emptiness means there is no such thing. That is delusion. That is delusion born of the three inter-related aspects of ignorance. That is bewilderment. We are just a window the unity of being uses, to view the world. If you say emptiness is this and that lacks inherent existence and then you practice in order to avoid the hell realms, or hungry ghost...in some next incarnation of self, then that is just a failure to realize what emptiness means. You certainly won't accomplish Buddha-hood this lifetime with that idea.
Please, aspire a little higher and make loving kindness and compassion all of your practice. Awaken, the self is empty of existence at the essence. The essence is empty-is there something else going on in the Buddha's teachings? I don't think so. He says what he means. Why deludedly make it into something else?
Common humanity is to a lesser or greater extent part of our understanding and capacity. In the spiritual realm we have to provide a degree of compassion for the sentient we know the most. Us.
Eventually the path, goal and means of travel become apparent. So we can provide inspiration, raft building skills, good companionship, skilful means etc.
Premature help is like joining the headless chickens and fluffy bunnies. Experts on where to go and how to get . . . boiled.
and now back to the soup . . .
"I do not pray to the Supreme Lord for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering."
The picture i posted above is direct from the pali suttas, as is this one:
That said don't pine after the time when you will be a respected teaching. The lojong slogan says that. The slogan says "abandon hope of all fruition". I think it is meant so we don't get an ego of being a master teacher. But of course there are master teachers (master acharya). But it is more ego if you are craving the authority, respect, and so forth.
My understanding of the bodhisattvayana is that those things go hand-in-hand.
Practice, essentially, leads to wisdom and skillful means. Wisdom and skillful means is best illustrated by the relationship between Avalokiteshvara and Tara. It's said that the Bodhisattva Mahasattva looks out over the vastness of sentient beings and seeing their suffering wept. From those tears, Tara arose and seeing the Bodhisattva Mahasattva's great compassion, swore to stand by him and aid him in his oath. Avalokiteshvara represents skillful means and Tara represents wisdom (as the divine feminine often does) . Wisdom is the support for skillful means.
For us humans, this is attained through practice. So, if you want to aid sentient beings, practice and the wisdom and skillful means to aid them will naturally arise.
Helping others, being kind, being socially engaged. All good. We are mostly motivated and wired this way, hopefully.
Some obsessionally.
Many public servants/politicians are motivated (it has been known) by trying to improve the situation. What a mess they often produce.
In a similar way, not taking into account the absolute necessity of knowing the goal and means of travel we can end up lost and leading others to nowhere.
This is why we as a necessity, must gain a degree of realisation otherwise we are deluding ourselves that we are helping.
It was the confidence in his realisation that allowed the Buddha to stop starving himself silly, holding his breath until headaches ensued and generally being super yogi . . .
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/05/before-buddha-became-a-buddhist-he-was-a-yogi/
and helping generations of future travellers on the path . . .
So strange as it may seem, it is the essential personal liberation that leads to the capacity for genuine help . . . which after all is our greater intention . . .
:wave:
:wave:
That's the way I see it @lobster
So this is within everyone's grasp as the Buddha taught; whether we are ready, willing and/or are able to put practice, wisdom and skillful means together is the real challenge.
And as Jesus said in Matt. 7 (paraphrasing): "How can you remove something from someone else's eye when you can't see clearly yourself? Clear your own vision, then you can take care of someone else's."
Things fall into place.
How do you mean help. I mean what is the purpose of the 8fold path or the 4 noble truths or....? Please explain Do you mean because no one else exists so what is the use?
If that is the case then why did the Buddha bother? Do you mean only the Buddha could help-ok-which Buddha? Are you preaching Nihilism? Please explain.
And as Jesus said in Matt. 7 (paraphrasing): "How can you remove something from someone else's eye when you can't see clearly yourself? Clear your own vision, then you can take care of someone else's."
Things fall into place.
Jesus was obviously talking about judging someone-not the willingness to help. Jesus main message was to love your neighbor as yourself. And he preached love and pulling the ox out of the ditch-even on the Sabbath-right? so, if we must be perfect in order to help how can anyone be helped. I see the way forward on the Bodhi's path as a continuous striving for self perfection through helping others.
go off the rails (informal)
to start behaving strangely or in a way that is not acceptable to society
off the rails
If someone has gone off the rails, they have lost track of reality.
off the rails
Idioms & Phrases
off the rails
In an abnormal or malfunctioning condition, as in Her political campaign has been off the rails for months . The phrase occurs commonly with go , as in Once the superintendent resigned, the effort to reform the school system went off the rails . This idiom alludes to the rails on which trains run; if a train goes off the rails, it stops or crashes. [Mid-1800s]
I think here is where even we "non-religious" Buddhists have to plant our feet and declare our faith in the Dharma and the Bodhisattva way. I take the vow anew each morning, and sometimes the person I first have to help is myself. Am I making a difference? Well of course my actions make a difference, however slight, for good or bad. In spite of my best efforts to help, I doubt that I discover the path to world peace and once I die the world will continue being what it is. I don't have a bit of proof that my practice of trying to help others will actually help anyone. For all I know, I'm wasting my time. I have only my faith in the Buddha's words to go by.
Besides, nothing else is going to work. The world has already had it's fill of religions that try to claim exclusive Truth and want to save you from your sins. All I want is for you to be happy.
I do understand and agree he was talking primarily about judging in Matthew 7, but what he taught always has a wider application, I think. It's also true that very few people are going to reach the point of seeing so clearly that they can correct someone else's vision, to use the example.
I agree the point is to keep on striving. In that regard I think we're helping ourselves and others, working for ourselves and setting an example (hopefully) for others.
Or, are you saying that each person must carry their own burdens and work it out for themselves and no one can help in that process. Ditto above-why are you here.
Or are you saying that we shouldn't presume we have any special dispensation
to dish out enlightenment. I go along with that-but then why be so cryptic about it.
I still fail to understand your view. What do you mean by help?
I have enjoyed your comments they have been instructive but this one seems self conflicted. Can you HELP me out a little here?
But it isn’t. And we would all be struggling on our own for all eternity if we waited for our enlightenment-go-ahead signal.
In Zen some people get this helping (or teaching) go-ahead signal from their lineage, going all the way back to Buddha Gautama. Unfortunately this lineage is a myth. There is no authority on this field; there is no valid certificate of enlightenment.
We have to do with what we have; imperfect people who do the best they can. We can’t wait until we get beyond our imperfection before we start sharing our experience, our ideas and our hearts with others. We would be waiting forever. And it would be a shame.
We help others doing the best we can and we make mistakes.
The crucial thing I think is intention; the biggest help I can give is when I can open my heart for people
i respect your opinions but i think they do not agree with real buddhist teachings.
What is said in Pali-Canon and Eightfold Path is: Love, Pity, Compassion und to take the
next one for yourself.
The aim of Buddhis is to come so far, so you are not being reincarneted any more.
sakko
100 BC and it is definitely Mahayana, I don't think you can just wave your hand and dismiss all of the Mahayana texts as "(not in agreement with real Buddhist teachings)".
The Buddha taught many paths for people with different capacities and propensities.
The Buddha's words seem perfectly in keeping with enlightenment for the sake of others.
' Both the Pali and the Sanskrit Canons can be traced to the common original teaching of the Buddha.'
Certainty can be reassuring but when it makes nothing of the faith of others it can be a hindrance to others. Everything was oral in the beginning and hinged on the memories of a few. The teachings should be consistent in their enlightened message. I think most schools are. Best to you, mtgby