What does it mean to be a Bodhisattva?

maitri

Hi!

Lately I’ve come across some writings about the Bodhisattva vow and the Bodhisattva ideal, and I have some thoughts and questions.
As I’ve understood it, according to Buddhism a Bodhisattva is anyone who is motivated by compassion and seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself but also for everyone, somebody who do not seek Nirvana for him-/herself as long as there are suffering sentient beings to help.

The vow of the Bodhisattva might be like this:

“For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.”

(Or like this.)

A Bodhisattva is described as somebody motivated by pure compassion and love. Their goal is to achieve the highest level of being: that of a Buddha. Bodhisattva is a Sanskrit term which translates as: Bodhi [enlightenment] and sattva [being]. And their reason for becoming a Buddha is to help others. The Bodhisattva will undergo any type of suffering to help another sentient being whether a tiny insect or a huge mammal (according to the Tibetan schools). In Shakyamuni Buddha’s 'Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines' it states: “I will become a savior to all those beings, I will release them from all their sufferings.”

(More info here.)

I also came across this description:

A bodhisattva resolves, "I take upon myself the burden of all
suffering; I am resolved to do so; I will endure it. I do not turn or run
away, do not tremble, am not terrified, nor afraid, do not turn back or
despond.

"And why? At all costs I must bear the burdens of all beings. In
that, I do not follow my own inclinations. I have made the vow to save
all beings. All beings I must set free. The whole world of living beings
I must rescue from the terrors of birth, of old age, of sickness, of death
and rebirth, of all kinds of moral offense, of all states of woe.... My
endeavors do not merely aim at my own deliverance. For with the help of
the boat of the thought of all-knowledge, I must rescue all these beings
from the stream of Samsara, which is so difficult to cross.... I myself
must grapple with the whole mass of suffering of all beings. To the
limit of my endurance I will experience in all the states of woe, found in
any world system, all the abodes of suffering. (my underlining) And I must not cheat all
beings out of my store of merit. I am resolved to abide in each single
state of woe for numberless aeons; and so I will help all beings to free-
dom, in all states of woe that may be found in any world system whatso-
ever.

"And why? Because it is surely better that I alone should be in
pain than that all these beings should fall into the states of woe.
Therefore I must give myself away as a pawn through which the whole world is redeemed from the terrors of hells, of animal birth, of the world of
Death, and with this my own body I must experience, for the sake of all
beings, the whole mass of painful feelings (my underlining again). And on behalf of all beings I
give surety for all beings, and in doing so I speak truthfully, am trust-
worthy, do not go back on my word. I must not abandon all beings."

Buddhism. Sikshasamuccaya 280-81, Vajradhvaja Sutra

And:

"I should be a hostel for all sentient beings, to let them escape
from all painful things. I should be a protector for all sentient beings,
to let them all be liberated from all afflictions. I should be a refuge
for all sentient beings, to free them from all fears....

"I should accept all sufferings for the sake of sentient beings,
and enable them to escape from the abyss of immeasurable woes of birth and
death. I should accept all suffering for the sake of all sentient beings
in all worlds, in all states of misery, for ever and ever, and still
always cultivate foundations of goodness for the sake of all beings. Why?
I would rather take all this suffering on myself than to allow sentient
beings to fall into hell. I should be a hostage to those perilous places-
-hells, animal realms, the nether world--as a ransom to rescue all
sentient beings in states of woe and enable them to gain liberation.

"I vow to protect all sentient beings and never abandon them. What
I say is sincerely true, without falsehood. Why? Because I have set my
mind on enlightenment in order to liberate all sentient beings; I do not
seek the unexcelled Way for my own sake."


Buddhism. Garland Sutra 23

One thing that strikes me (that also is mentioned in one of the links above) isn’t this is very much like - or even identical with - the "project" of Jesus Christ in Christianity? (And this perhaps might support the theory that Jesus may have studied Buddhist and Hindu teachings before the age of thirty when he started to teach?)

The other thing that strikes me is: To deliberately be willing to suffer all kinds of painful feelings, and “To the limit of my endurance (…) experience in all the states of woe, found in any world system, all the abodes of suffering,” and to “abide in each single state of woe for numberless aeons; and so I will help all beings to freedom, in all states of woe that may be found in any world system whatsoever.” – Isn’t this a bit “too much” for any singular mortal human being? Or how do you understand this?

And does it mean that there is some intrinsic good in suffering (according to Buddhism?)? Or some "saving quality" in suffering? Or is it the love that makes somebody willing to suffer that is the point and not the suffering? (Can my, or any human being’s, suffering in itself be of help to other? And if so: How and Why?)

Or is it not to be taken literarily – but more as a willingness to do these things (out of love and compassion) if necessarily?

Example of such willingness to suffer to help somebody:

When a father and mother part with their beloved son as the son dies, their hearts so ache that they feel that they themselves should die together with him. The same is the case with the bodhisattva: as he sees a benighted person fall into hell, he himself desires to be born there, too. [He thinks,] "Perhaps the man, as he experiences the pain, may gain a moment of repentance where I can speak to him of the Law in various ways and enable him to gain a thought of good."

For the father and mother of an only son, in sleep or while awake, or while walking, standing, sitting, or reclining, their minds always think of the son. If he does wrong, they give kindly advice and lead the boy that he does not do evil any more. The same is the case of the bodhisattva: as he sees beings fall into the realms of hell, hungry ghosts and animals, or sees them doing good and evil in the world of man and in heaven, his mind is ever upon them and not apart from them. He may see them doing all evil, yet he does not become angry or punish with evil intent.
Buddhism. Mahaparinirvana Sutra 470-71

So what I wonder is how do you people on this board understand the concept of being a Bodhisattva? (I know there are people here who have actually made the Bodhisattva vow and it will of course be very nice to hear their thoughts about this, but I am also interested in other people's comments.)

Regards ,

M.

Asiaprod

maitri wrote:

Hi! So what I wonder is how do you people on this board understand the concept of being a Bodhisattva? (I know there are people here who have actually made the Bodhisattva vow and it will of course be very nice to hear their thoughts about this, but I am also interested in other people's comments.)

Oh Maitri, does your mind ever rest:D
Wonderful question, and another chance for me to learn. Thank you. I will wait to hear some other poster's thoughts about this first as I too am interested to hear the views of others.
Stay tuned:)

maitri

Asiaprod wrote:

Oh Maitri, does your mind ever rest:D

Nope. Never. Should it?

Asiaprod

maitri wrote:

Nope. Never. Should it?

Nope, never.
Just to list the vows.
1. Vow of Participation
2. Vow of Practice
3. Vow of Joy
4. Vow of Action

maitri

Asiaprod wrote:

3. Vow of Joy

Wow, vow (aspiration?) of joy sounds very nice indeed!

1. Vow of Participation
2. Vow of Practice
3. Vow of Joy
4. Vow of Action

Are these vows (aspirations?) of a Bodhisattva?

Asiaprod

maitri wrote:

Wow, vow (aspiration?) of joy sounds very nice indeed!

1. Vow of Participation
2. Vow of Practice
3. Vow of Joy
4. Vow of Action

Are these vows (aspirations?) of a Bodhisattva?

Yes they are. The Vow of Joy is also the hardest. In the words of my teacher, "Only happy people get presents." I fall down on this one constantly.:(

Doc Farrell

I've just read this thread after a very long and stressful day and it has really helped me empty my mind. So I just want to say thanks.
Over the weekend I will go back to the older thread about the similarities between Buddhist teachings and the teachings in the Psalms.
Fascinating stuff and thanks again.
I'm fired to investigate the theories that Jesus travelled to Buddhist countries as a young man, that will be my pressie to me for the weekend.
cheers guys and gals.

Asiaprod

Doc Farrell wrote:

I've just read this thread after a very long and stressful day and it has really helped me empty my mind.

I am really happy to hear that, glad we could help.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into this subject

The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus' 17-Year Journey to the East by Elizabeth Clare Prophet (Author).
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Years-Jesus-Documentary-Evidence/dp/091676687X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/103-2651989-6736624


It is an amazing read, and is responsible for me finally shaking off the idea of Jesus as God. It shows Jesus to be a very wise and charismatic teacher, gifted with wonderful insight into humanity. The book sets out to document his missing years in Northern India and his possible return after the crucifixion. There is a lot of information on his study of Buddhism, and the book presents many Buddhist texts that document his journeys in Kashmire. There he was known under the name of Issa, a name that is very well known to our brothers (and sisters) in Islam. There are of course some light moments in the book (I do draw the line at the Tomb of Jesus' donkey) and in the following web site which I strongly recommend as it contains some great documentation (http://www.tombofjesus.com/home.htm).

One interesting facet is the account of Jesus' wife, and his study and mastery of Yoga, herbal potions and deep meditation practices that could in theory have enabled him to survive the crucifixion; think of the sponge he was offered and the fact that he died after 3 hours, very uncommon since crucifixion was a punishment and humiliation first and foremost that was supposed to prolong the agony. Also very unusual to be able to collect the body. Part of the crucifixion punishment was to throw the corpse on the rubbish pile for the carrion to dispose of. Japan has a similar superstition that unless the family can claim the body and bury it properly, the spirit of the deceased is lost for eternity. The book is not a definitive proof, nor does it attempt to be. What it does is present a different perspective that really makes one question the way that christianity evolved. No disrespect to any Christians reading this post, as a Buddhist I have my own belief system. As I have said many times, I will fight for anyones right to follow their own belief system, but that does not mean I accept their system.

I should stop here as this is my favorite subject and I could type on and bore you all for hours. Enough to say, this book set me free.

My thanks also to MediationMom:). Her insight enabled me to give Jesus his proper place in the history of humanity as a wonderful teacher and a man.

maitri

Asiaprod wrote:

Yes they are. The Vow of Joy is also the hardest. In the words of my teacher, "Only happy people get presents." I fall down on this one constantly.:(

Oh Peter, I hope you don’t blame yourself for feeling down now and then. As I see it, to experience sadness or grief now and then is a natural part of being human, and nothing “wrong”. Even small children are sometimes sad.

Maybe the deep felt wish for happiness for oneself and everybody is enough?

And you know there are som exceptions to “Only happy people get presents”. For instance: Some weeks ago I was feeling so miserable and down and was probably about to enter a really nasty depression I’m afraid. And then somebody gave me an unbelievably big present just “out of the blue”. (And the depression sulkingly had to pack its bags and leave for later.:) )

About the topic Bodhisattvas and grief, I just came across this:

“A few years ago, I attended a retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche. My father had died only weeks before of a sudden heart attack, and, despite Tsoknyi’s masterful skill at guiding us to rest in unbounded luminous awareness, I was unable to shake a debilitating sadness and despair. At the end of the retreat, I finally mustered the strength to ask Tsoknyi about grief.

“You do not try to overcome grief or dissolve it into luminosity,” Tsoknyi advised me. “You grieve.” He explained that the word satva means “courage” and in the case of a bodhisattva, it means “the courage to suffer.” “A bodhisattva suffers a lot,” he said, “but willingly.”

…
When I began to practice Buddhism, I learned that the Buddha presented a methodology for freedom from suffering. I imagined this meant I could manage life’s myriad challenges in a state of steady, unmediated bliss. As my practice deepened, I grew to understand that freedom is not about resting in sublime equanimity despite the suffering of loved ones and strangers. Freedom is about the willingness to feel deeply. Freedom is about the willingness to fall apart. Freedom is about holding onto nothing. And at the heart of that letting go, that dissolution, that surrender, you discover something sublime and unspeakably, heartbreakingly raw. Call it love. Call it compassion. Call it kindness. Call it redemption.

“A bodhisattva suffers willingly,” Tsoknyi had said. “And with the willingness to suffer emerges a profound joy.”

Freedom that embraces what is acceptable and rejects what is not is not freedom. Freedom is wholly democratic. Freedom includes everything. ”

The ”vow of joy” and the willingness to suffer (to help others), is it a contradiction or another Buddhist koan?

maitri

Doc Farrell wrote:

I've just read this thread after a very long and stressful day and it has really helped me empty my mind. So I just want to say thanks.

Thank you!:)

Please, do tell us if you find out something interesting about Jesus and Buddhism. It is really an interesting and fascinating topic and I would very much like to hear more about it - though we'll probably never know for sure which of the theories are true?

scojones

Asiaprod wrote:

I should stop here as this is my favorite subject and I could type on and bore you all for hours. Enough to say, this book set me free.

My thanks also to MediationMom:). Her insight enabled me to give Jesus his proper place in the history of humanity as a wonderful teacher and a man.

I'd be interested in hearing more of this, Asiaprod. I've never really thought about Jesus' missing years, and what he may have gotten up to. I'm going to purchase that book and see what it has to offer me. I hope I'm not taking this thread off on a tangent, but that has really interested me!

Asiaprod

sjones wrote:

I'd be interested in hearing more of this, Asiaprod. I've never really thought about Jesus' missing years, and what he may have gotten up to. I'm going to purchase that book and see what it has to offer me. I hope I'm not taking this thread off on a tangent, but that has really interested me!

No, I think this is a very interesting thread. A deeper understanding of Jesus, what he stood for, and the implications that he did indeed study Buddhism, and preach it, are very relevent in this day and age. I lookforward to debating it more. One could almost say that he was indeed the embodyment of a Bodhisattva.

maitri

But are we absolutely sure that the Bodhisattva ideal is actually older than Christianity? Or could the Bodhisattva ideal (as taught today) be partly a result of Christian influence on Buddhism?

Does anybody here know how old are the oldest teachings of the Bodhisattva ideal? (Can we find this ideal - or something similar - in the old Pali Canon, for instance?)

Asiaprod

maitri wrote:

But are we absolutely sure

No, in all honesty we can not say for sure. Like our brothers in other faiths, it is our faith that makes us sure.

maitri wrote:

(Can we find this ideal - or something similar - in the old Pali Canon, for instance?)

Let us look to see if we can. Here is a staring point.
From the Buddhist Society reference archives:

With the growth of the Mahayana, new Sutras were written. The teaching in the Sanskrit Canon (Oral teachings of which no complete translation exists) was incorporated into the Mahayana teaching. The new Sutras were based on the existing texts but new material was added to incorporate the Mahayana ideas.

Of the many new Sutras written, nine are considered particularly important. Four of the most popular and important are:

Prajnaparamita Sutras (Wisdom, Perfection Sutra), which set out the teachings of Emptiness (Sunyata). ?Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (Lotus Sutra), which explains the one-ness of the teachings and praises the Bodhisattva. Mahayana considered this to be the supreme teaching, and it is considered the most important Sutra in China and Japan. ?Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra, which explains that a layperson can become a Bodhisattva. ?Sukhavati Sutra teaches that Buddha Amida’s land was open to all believers.

maitri

Hi Asiaprod!

Asiaprod wrote:

No, in all honesty we can not say for sure. Like our brothers in other faiths, it is our faith that makes us sure.

Which reminds me that the Dalai Lama says: "True faith has to be based on reasoning." (I really like that point of view.:) )

Asiaprod wrote:

Let us look to see if we can. Here is a staring point.
From the Buddhist Society reference archives:

With the growth of the Mahayana, new Sutras were written. The teaching in the Sanskrit Canon (Oral teachings of which no complete translation exists) was incorporated into the Mahayana teaching. The new Sutras were based on the existing texts but new material was added to incorporate the Mahayana ideas.

That's true. Which means we cannot know for sure what is new and what are old teaching in these text. Though tradition says nothing is really "new".

But what about the older Pali Canon?

BTW, but maybe it isn't really that important which way the influence goes if the teachings “work”? I was once in a Tibetan Buddhist bookstore in Oslo where a Catholic said to the Buddhist behind the counter that the Buddhist rosaries and relics reminded her about Catholicism. The Buddhist answered smiling: "You know, we really invented "gunpowder" together".