<<Назад Спасение через достижение состояния Архата

Оглавление

Далее>> Достижение состояния Будды

Перевод

Таблица

Оригинал

Who Is A Bodhisatva?

A Bodhisatva is a being devoted to Enlightenment.

AS a ‘Compassionate Being’, a Bodhisatva is destined to attain Buddhahood, and become a future Buddha through the cultivation of the mind.

In order to gain Supreme Enlightenment, a person practises transcendental virtues (Parami) to perfection. These Paramis are generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity. One cultivates these Parami with compassion and wisdom, without being influenced by selfish motives or self-conceit. One works for the welfare and happiness of all beings, seeking to reduce the suffering of others throughout the series of countless lives. In the journey to perfection, the person is prepared to practise these virtues, sometimes even at the cost of his or her own life.

In the Pali scriptures, the designation ‘Bodhisatva’ was given to Prince Siddhartha before His Enlightenment and in His former lives. The Buddha Himself used this term when speaking of His life prior to Enlightenment. According to the Pali texts there is no mention of Buddhahood being the only way to attain the final goal of Nirvanic bliss. It was very rare for a disciple during the Buddha’s time to forgo the opportunity to attain sainthood and instead declare Bodhisatvahood as his aspiration. However, there are records that some followers of the Buddha did aspire to become Bodhisatvas to gain ‘Buddhahood’. In the Mahayana school of thought, the Bodhisatva cult however, plays an important role. The Mahayana ideal regards the Bodhisatva as a being who, having brought himself to the brink of Nirvana, voluntarily delays the acquisition of his prize so that he may return to the world to make it accessible to others. He deliberately chooses to postpone his release from Samsara in order to show the path for others to attain Nirvana.

Although Theravada Buddhists respect Bodhisatvas, they do not regard them as being in the position to enlighten or save others before their own enlightenment. Bodhisatvas are, therefore, not regarded as saviours in a spiritual sense. In order to gain their final salvation, all beings must follow the method prescribed by the Buddha and follow the example set by Him. They must also personally eradicate their mental defilements and develop all the great virtues: no one can give them salvation.

Theravada Buddhists do not subscribe to the belief that everyone must strive to become a Buddha in order to gain Nirvana. However, the word ‘Bodhi’ is used to refer to the qualities of a Buddha, or Pacceka Buddha and Arahant in expressions such as Samma Sam Bodhi, Pacceka Bodhi and Savaka Bodhi. In addition, many of the Buddhas mentioned in the Mahayana school are not historical Buddhas and are therefore not given much attention by Theravada Buddhists. The notion that certain Buddhas and Bodhisatvas are waiting in Sukhavati (Pure Land) for those who pray to them is a notion quite foreign to the fundamental Teachings of the Buddha. Certain Bodhisatvas are said to voluntarily remain in Sukhavati, without gaining enlightenment themselves, until every living being is saved. Given the magnitude of the universe and the infinite number of beings who are enslaved by ignorance and selfish desire, this is clearly an impossible task, since there can be no end to the number of beings in the whole universe.

Must a Bodhisatva always be a Buddhist? We may find among Buddhists some self-sacrificing and ever loving Bodhisatvas. Sometimes they may not even be aware of their lofty aspiration, but they instinctively work hard to serve others and cultivate their pristine qualities. Nevertheless, Bodhisatvas are not only found among Buddhists, but possibly among the other religionists as well. The Jataka stories, which relate the previous birth stories of the Buddha, describe the families and forms of existence taken by the Bodhisatva. Sometimes He was born as an animal. It is hard to believe that He could have been born in a Buddhist family in each and every life. But no matter in what form He was born as or what family he was born into, He invariably strived hard to develop certain virtues. His aspiration to gain perfection from life to life until His final birth when He emerged as a Buddha, is the quality which clearly distinguishes a Bodhisatva from other beings. What is important here is not the label “Bodhisatva” but the great virtues common to everybody.

The belief of some people that the Bodhisatvas exist in a particular world system as some sort of divine beings is not consistent with the teaching of the Buddha. Bodhisatvas exist in any part of the world by cultivating the great virtues and precepts in order to gain enlightenment. They generally do so as human beings.

<<Назад Спасение через достижение состояния Архата

Оглавление

Далее>> Достижение состояния Будды

Редакция перевода от 03.07.2015 13:28