The Bodhisatta in Theravada Buddhism by Nico Moonen (ebook reader for pc and android .TXT) 📕

as to help suffering creatures. Through wisdom he attempts to win insight into the emptiness of all that is. A Bodhisattva, although intent on ultimate purity, remains in touch with ordinary people by having the same passions they have. His passions, however, do not affect or pollute his mind. A Bodhisattva's compassion is great, it makes no distinctions. He has a selfless desire to make others happy. He is determined to exist in unhappy spheres during many millions of world-periods for the sake of saving all living beings. For it is better that only he suffers than that all beings come into that unhappy sphere. Voluntarily Bodhisattvas take the suffering of others, of the whole world upon themselves. But they have to check their compassion through wisdom. They may not sacrifice their life for an unworthy object. Wisdom is needed for choosing the correct means that are needed for giving help.[59]

    The Bodhisattva would rather commit an unwholesome deed and as a result of that suffer many thousands of world-periods (even in hell), than neglect the good in one single being. The Bodhisattva Jyotis, for example, broke his vow of chastity and had sexual intercourse with a woman who otherwise would have died.[60]

    The vow of the Bodhisattva is as follows:

“There are innumerable living beings; I promise to save them all. Our evil passions are inexhaustible; I promise to kill them all. The holy doctrines cannot be measured; I promise to study them all. It is difficult to attain to the Path of the Buddha; Enlightenment is highest. I promise to attain Enlightenment.”[61]

    The unity of compassion and wisdom is achieved through the six perfections (pāramitā). A person becomes a Bodhisattva when he first resolves to win full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The Bodhisattva is separated from Buddhahood only by a single small obstacle, i.e. his belief in a personal self, his assumption that he is a separate individual.[62]

    The 6 pāramitās are:[63]

dāna (generosity);

sīla (morality);

khanti (forbearance, patience);

viriya (energy);

dhyāna (contemplation);

prajñā (wisdom).

 

    The question as to when one can justifiably be called a Bodhisattva was answered by Nāgārjuna (1st cent. C.E.) as follows: “This change from an ordinary being to a Bodhisattva takes place when his mind has reached the state when it can no longer turn back on enlightenment. Also, he has by then gained five advantages: he is no more reborn in the states of woe, but always among gods and men; he is never again born in poor or low-class families; he is always a male and never a female; he is always well-built, and free from physical defects; he can remember his past lives, and no more forgets them again.”[64]

    The Lankāvatāra Sūtra states: “The Bodhisattvas are those serious disciples who are enlightened because of their exertions to get self-realisation of Noble Wisdom, and who have taken upon themselves the task to enlighten other beings.”[65]

    Asanga wrote in his Bodhisattvabhūmi that one of the characteristics held in common by both Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is that they have inconceivable and innumerable means of power.[66]

    There are two classes of Bodhisattvas: terrestrial ones and heavenly or transcendental ones. The terrestrial ones are human beings, recognisable as Bodhisattvas only due to their all-embracing compassion and their determination to exert themselves for the sake of others. It is open to anyone to become a Bodhisattva.

    The transcendental or heavenly Bodhisattvas have, through realisation of the perfections (pāramitā), developed themselves from terrestrial Bodhisattvas to Buddhahood, but they have postponed their ultimate extinction until all living beings are liberated. They are in the position of “Nirvāna without a standstill”. In that way they are able to go on acting for the sake of all beings. They can only be perceived spiritually. However, if they themselves wish, they can appear in different shapes, according to need.[67]

    For a Bodhisattva there are two stages of thinking. In his immeasurable compassion he exerts himself for the salvation of beings that he considers helpless and real. At the same time, however, he lives as a wise man with the insight that there doesn’t exist a self (ātman) and that empiric beings are merely short-lived appearances. He has deep insight into sūnyatā (emptiness). In reality there is no suffering nor are there beings that have to be saved. All beings are led to perfect extinction, yet there is no being perfectly extinguished.[68]

    The Mahāyāna teaching about Bodhisattvas is based upon the doctrine on the transfer of merit. Bodhisattvas promise to liberate all living beings. This is not impossible, for karma is considered to be cosmic. All existence functions as “mind-waves” in the Cosmic Spirit. All that exists is, in ultimate reality, a manifestation of universal consciousness. The thoughts and deeds of one single being have the power to influence all other living beings.[69]

    According to Mahāyāna, the path to Bodhisattvahood is open to all. Therefore there are many Bodhisattvas. Those who were regarded as having reached the penultimate stage of existence in the Tusita heaven were thought of as heavenly beings, upon whom ordinary mortals could call for help. This is possible in two ways. The Noble Eightfold Path is considered to be too difficult for most human beings. Only extremely talented persons are able to follow that path. Others need help from outside. They have to trust upon the compassion (karunā) of the Bodhisattvas or upon the mercy of transcendental Buddhas. Their compassion is boundless and therefore encompasses also beings with few and weak talents. To get the help of Bodhisattvas it will be enough to utter a humble prayer. It is the way of faith, confidence. The devotees put their confidence in the compassionate Bodhisattva that he will not let them down. Through the mercy of a Bodhisattva one can reach liberation. The Bodhisattvas and the heavenly Buddhas are able to take upon themselves the unwholesome karma-result of others and to give them a good karma-result. In that way they break the natural law of moral result. In Mahāyāna the supernatural gets the chance to intervene in the natural. The faith of the devotees leads them with certainty to rebirth in a Buddha-paradise where they develop wisdom. From there they enter Nirvāna.[70]

 

    Through striving after Bodhisattvahood and the welfare for others, the goal, Nirvāna, has been somewhat relegated to the background in Mahāyāna. But it has not lost any of its importance. After all beings are liberated, a Bodhisattva will enter into complete Nirvāna. In Mahāyāna Nirvāna is equal to samsāra. Only in the eyes of the ignorant is there a difference between the two.[71]

    In Mahāyāna there are two kinds of Nirvāna:

The incomplete Nirvāna: this is the Nirvāna during lifetime. The devotee has then acquired the wisdom that all is an illusion. Bodhisattvas, too, live in the incomplete Nirvāna.

The complete Nirvāna: herein the body of the liberated one is abolished as well. The liberated one is free from personalities.[72]

 

    Because all beings are essentially empty, there is in fact no being that has to be liberated and no being that has to liberate. A Bodhisattva should remember this. He is free from the idea of “self” or “being” or “person”. In an absolute sense there are no beings nor Perfect Ones nor Nirvāna. They are only appearances. They need no liberation because they are empty.[73]

    The term Bodhisattva was not confined to celestial beings. Great teachers, e.g. Nāgārjuna and Asanga, were referred to as Bodhisattvas. It was also a convention of Buddhists in South East Asia to regard their kings as Bodhisattvas, since they were beings whose great efforts were directed towards securing the welfare of the many.[74] It is claimed that several kings from Sri Lanka lived the life of a Bodhisattva, that they aimed at Buddhahood.[75] It is also claimed that Anāgārika Dharmapala was a Bodhisattva.[76]

 

Fig. 2

Bodhisatta, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

3. The Bodhisatta in Theravāda

 

    The Bodhisatta who became the Buddha went through many hardships during immeasurable long periods of time, out of compassion (karunā) for the world, to become a Teacher of the Noble Truths. He suffered a lot for us, but not instead of us! He was a teacher, not a saviour. From the beginning of his career as Buddha-to-be during the time of the Buddha Dīpankara he exerted himself all the time to become a teacher of gods and men, to show us the way to the highest happiness, Nibbāna. During his long career he is called Bodhisatta.

The term Bodhisatta

 

    The Pāli term Bodhisatta is composed of Bodhi which term means 'wisdom' or 'enlightenment', and satta which means 'devoted to' or 'intent on'. A Bodhisatta means one who is devoted to wisdom, who is intent on enlightenment.[77] Somebody is called a Bodhisatta if he is sure to become a Buddha. In the Pāli Canon and commentaries, the designation Bodhisatta is given only to Prince Siddhattha before his Enlightenment and in his former existences. The Buddha himself uses this term when speaking of his life prior to Enlightenment.[78]

Types of Bodhisattas

 

    In the commentaries to Khuddaka Nikāya three types