What is a bodhisattva?
2. The bodhisattva as the goal of Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhists do not aspire to enlightenment purely to free themselves from suffering; they do so out of compassion in order to liberate other sentient beings.
One of the greatest works of Buddhist literature is the 8th century “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” (Bodhicaryavatara) by Shantideva. The Bodhicaryavatara contains ten chapters detailing the practice of the Perfections (paramitas) by which one becomes a bodhisattva. It is through the cultivation of bodhicitta (the mind or heart of awakening) that one becomes a bodhisattva.
The Mahayana (”Great Vehicle”) seems to have arisen at least in part because of a perception that Buddhist practitioners in certain schools (pejoratively dubbed the “Hinayana,” or “Lesser Vehicle”) had two narrow a conception of the Buddhist path, seeing it purely in terms of liberating oneself from suffering without regard to the wellbeing of others.
This self-centered orientation was in conflict with the Buddha’s original emphasis that his disciples “go forth for the welfare of the many” and with his own untiring concern with the wellbeing of others. Mahayanists therefore looked back to the Buddha’s own life for inspiration. Prior to his own enlightenment, the Buddha-to-be, or Bodhisattva, was said to have spent countless lifetimes cultivating the perfection of compassion and generosity. The Jataka tales mentioned above contain a vast body of folklore in which the Bodhisattva, whether in human or animal form makes great sacrifices in order to help others.
Inspired by both the actual and the mythic stories of the Buddha, Mahayanists reinstated compassion at the heart of Buddhist practice. rather that aiming at Arhatship — the individual liberation of the Hinayana — Mahayanists aimed to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
To Mahayanists, wisdom and compassion were considered to be inseparable. To truly see the nature of reality is to see that the whole conception of separate entities is a delusion. Paradoxically, therefore, a “bodhi-being” has to see that there are no beings to save in order to want to save them, and therefore to become a “bodhi-being”!
The Bodhisattva path is said to take many lifetimes.
Comments
Comment from Wendy
Time: September 20, 2007, 8:25 pm
Please help me find the web site where I learned the following mantras (I cannot be sure of the spelling but I am sure of how they sounded phonetically):
1) Om burh vah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dimahi
Dihyo yonah
Prachodayat.
2) Om shri manah, Lakshmiyai namah.
I hope you can help me find out more about these. They have really helped me. Thank you. Wendy
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: September 20, 2007, 8:36 pm
Hi Wendy,
The first is the “gayatri mantra” which is one of the best-known Hindu mantras. It was incorporated into the theme music of Battlestar Galactica’s second season!
oṃ bhūr bhuvah svah
tāt savitūr várenyam
bhārgo devāsya dhīmahi
dhīyo yōnah prachodāyāt
There’s a decent article about it on Wikipedia.
The second mantra is “Om Sri Maha Lakshmyai Namah”.
This should be enough information for you to search online.
But you shouldn’t be asking me about this. I’m a Buddhist! :)
Comment from ira
Time: October 27, 2007, 4:33 pm
Sounds like the Gayatri mantra to me–check Sai Baba sites, i.e., Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Comment from Cora
Time: December 28, 2007, 11:37 am
My computer does not access the audio part re: translations
Is there another site where the pronunciation is available.
eg. The green tara mantra:
swaha ????
soha, swaha ???????
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: December 28, 2007, 8:12 pm
Hi Cora,
What’s the precise nature of the problem? I’m guessing it’s that you don’t have RealPlayer — I really ought to convert the mantras to MP3 format to make them more accessible. I’ll try to do that as soon as possible.
Also, the pronunciation is now more fully explained in the article.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from terramie asher
Time: January 20, 2008, 7:11 pm
I am a bit confused. I have not been able to meditate in two years. I was able to meditate well for a number of years prior to this block (?). What I think I am looking for is a mantra to use that would help me. I did not use them before, just breathing and was able to meditate for long periods of time. A mantra may be helpful with concentration and focus and blocking distractions.
I think that the root of the problem is that i have noticed in the last two years difficulty concentrating and focusing on anything.
Is there a particular mantra that might help one with concentration and focus.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: January 21, 2008, 5:37 pm
Hi Terramie,
That brings up an interesting point. Classically, something like the Manjushri mantra would be said to be good for helping focus and concentration, but there can be many things that stand in the way of our focusing. For example the mind can be unsteady because of a lack of energy (in which case a good mantra might be that of Vajrapani), or because of problems will ill will or self-hatred (in which case Tara, or Avalokitesvara might be good). In short, you may need to do a bit more exploring to find out in more detail what the cause of your problem is.
On this that raises a flag with me is you talking about “blocking distractions.” Generally that’s not a very helpful way to think about meditation, in which we may often acknowledge distractions and then patiently return to the object of concentration, or we may even have to work on accepting and exploring our distractions. It may be that it would be helpful for you to work with a teacher. If there’s nothing available locally you could always consider our online courses.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from cat
Time: March 7, 2008, 10:12 am
When the body is not functioning properly, a ‘block’ may develop. That is what happened to me recently. Try giving your body a detox or flush. Look for cleaning the Liver.
I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t be answering.
Cat
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