What is a bodhisattva?
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3. The Bodhisattva as a devotional object
Mahayana Buddhism vastly increased the range of objects of devotion by introducing new Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The historical Buddha had always been an object of great devotion to his followers. He himself had encouraged the veneration of the tombs of previous “Solitary Buddhas” or pratyekabuddhas. The Buddha-to-be, Metteya (Sanskrit: Maitreya), was also an object of veneration and prayer. There was never, therefore, any sense of there being only a single (or no) focus for devotion in Buddhism. But the Mahayana broadened the range of devotional figures, by introducing “new” Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. How did this happen?
Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas, Ellora (Akuppa)
First, it may well have been the case that existing pre-Buddhist or simply non-Buddhist figures were incorporated into the Buddhist tradition and promoted, as it were, to enlightened status. This seems to be the case with Vajrapani, who began life as a Yaksha who acted as the Buddha’s protector. Some scholars have also speculated that Manjushri began as a celestial musician, or gandharva. It also seems that Tara began life as Durga, a Brahminical deity.
Second, it’s likely that some Buddhist deities first appeared as spontaneous manifestations in meditation practices. It’s fairly common for meditators to have meaningful and stable images appear as a result of the mind attaining unusually concentrated states of mind. These images are known as nimittas. A meditator who slips into a particularly refined state of mind may see, for example, a still pool or water or a jewel hanging against an infinite black background.
It’s conceivable that a meditator, upon having a particularly strong experience of compassion, say, experienced a vision of a beautiful and loving goddess caught in the act of stepping from a lotus in order to help sentient beings. And so, Tara would be “born.” In certain states of meditation the border between the unconscious and conscious minds can be crossed more easily, and the mind can begin to see things in a more symbolic way — as in dreaming but with a greater degree of mindfulness than is found in normal daily life.
Bodhisattvas may then be irruptions into waking consciousness of symbolic representations of meditation experiences. It is not unknown for Buddhas and bodhisattvas who appear in this way to even give teachings. Some Mahayana sutras may have started in this way.
Meditators who had such visionary experiences may have encouraged others to meditate upon the images that had spontaneously arisen, and so the tradition of sadhana, or the visualization of Buddhist deities, may have arisen.
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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