To understand the path of the Bodhisattva I think first it is important to understand what a Bodhisattva is. A Bodhisattva is the highest ideal in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. The term Bodhisattva means an “enlightened being.” One who seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all enlightened beings – but stops short of complete enlightenment. Why? Because the Bodhisattva vows to help all sentient beings to obtain enlightenment first. How long will that take? It will take forever. So it is the universal vow of compassion, this universal vow of altruism of putting other’s needs ahead of one’s own. This is what characterizes a Bodhisattva. Complete selfless compassion.
So what is the origin of the Bodhisattva? The Buddha was first Bodhisattva because in the jataka tales there are many, many stories of the Buddha’s acts of incredibly compassion in his past lives. In some of the stories are of the Buddha who actually gave up his own life for the benefit of other beings. And of course in the Buddha’s final life - after attaining enlightenment, and because of kind and compassionate heart, he decided to stay in this world for 45 years to share the precious Dharma with us.
One of the best known texts on the Path of the Bodhisattva was written by the Indian saint, Shantideva. Let me tell you a little bit about Shantideva…..
Shantideva lived in the 8th century in India near Bodhgaya, India. Like the Buddha, his father was a great king. During his childhood his father died. After his father’s death Shantideva developed deep realizations into impermanence and death.
His father’s subjects asked Shantideva to succeed his father as King. Since he couldn’t refuse he accepted the position. However the night before his enthronement ceremony he had a dream where Manjushri (the Bodhisattva of Wisdom) said that Shantideva would become his student and one day sit upon his throne.
After he awoke he realized that he would be more benefit to sentient beings by becoming a monk rather than a king. So he left for Nalanda monastery. At this time Nalanda was the center of Buddhist and worldly studies in northern India. It was at Nalanda that he was given the name “Shantideva” upon his ordination. It is said that he quickly became a master in his studies, although this was not obvious to others.
Even if he was a great scholar he didn’t show this outwardly. Most saw him as lazy and in fact gave him a nickname similar to “lazybones.” His nickname translated as “Eats, Sleeps, Shits” because this all they ever saw him do. The other monks mocked him because they saw him as lazy and completely useless. Some students wanted him expelled because the University was full of scholars and Shantideva was no scholar. They said all he knows about is eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom. So they asked Shantideva to give a teaching, with the hopes that he would be so embarrassed that he would leave the monastery.
Shantideva accepted the invitation to teach but didn’t know they were planning on embarrassing him by building a huge throne but with no steps and therefore no way to reach the seat. They also assembled a very large group of monks to hear Shantideva’s teachings. However when Shantideva arrived and saw the huge throne with no steps, he merely touched the throne and it magically shrank to a size that Shantideva could sit upon it. Then immediately the throne grew back to its original size. The monks who had built the throne were shocked and amazed that he was able to do such a thing.
Once upon the throne, Shantideva asked the assemblage what kind of teaching would they like? Something that had been taught before, or something that had never been taught before? The monks requested that he teach something that had never been taught before, again hoping he would embarrass himself. Shantideva began teaching, his now famous, “Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.”
Everyone present was amazed at this never heard before teaching. When Shantideva reach the ninth chapter on “wisdom,” he came to the phrase “…..whatever is existent and nonexistent……” At this point he suddenly levitated in the air and floated up into a cloud. From this cloud, Shantideva he gave the tenth and final chapter. It is said that while he was invisible and could not be seen, there were those highly realized beings who were able to heard the tenth and final chapter.
The monks and people who liked Shantideva were very sad because he was now gone, and those who were against him felt every impressed and very sorry about what they’d done.
If you haven’t read the “Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” I highly recommend it. The entire text is even available online. There have been several commentaries written in recent times. Pema Chodron has just recently written a new commentary of this wonderful text by the name of “No Time To Lose.”
A Bodhisattva
As I mentioned a Bodhisattva – is a kind of spiritual hero who works for the benefits of others. Most of us take re-birth involuntary – however the Bodhisattva voluntarily throws him/herself back into the raging sea of samsara for the benefit of others.
The Bodhisattva vow which consists of 18 root vows and 46 branch vows is a big commitment – it is asking a lot. How can anyone honestly vow to help ALL beings? The sheer idea is overwhelming. Mind-boggling. But that is part of the point. The practice is just that all-encompassing; like swallowing the entire ocean.
About the vow: You don’t do it because it’s doable. You take it to make it so.
The Bodhisattva vow is like someone who vows to be the last one off a sinking ship and then discovers it’s something endless – like being aboard the Titanic….getting passengers to lifeboats bound for nirvana…. Yet doing so with a “spirit ever buoyant as we sink…..”
Bodhisattva seeks Buddhahood but renounces complete entry into nirvana until all beings are saved. The determining factor for his action is compassion – supported by highest insight and wisdom. A Bodhisattva provides active help, is ready to take upon him/herself the suffering of all other beings, and to transfer his own karmic merit to other beings.
Shantideva in his text says:
All those who suffer in the world do so
because of a desire for their own happiness.
All those happy in the world are so
because of their desire
for the happiness of others.
Bodhichitta
Bodhichitta consists of two words: bodi - means awake - chitta - means mind --- Awakened Mind (heart). This is the mind of enlightenment. Some believe that it is maitri (kindness) or karuna (compassion) but it is both of these and more. Bodhichitta is essential for whatever path you practice, because it's the essence of enlightenment. Bodhichitta is a sort of universal altruism where we desire to alleviate the suffering of other beings. This motivation is characterized in the Chant "Four Immeasurables" from the Vajrayana. The "Four Immeasurables" are:
May all beings be endowed with happiness; (Loving kindness)
May all beings be free from suffering; (Compassion)
May all beings never be separated from happiness; (Sympathic Joy)
And may all beings abide in equanimity, undisturbed by the eight worldly concerns.
In order to generate this precious mind of enlightenment it is important to develop great compassion for all sentient beings. One of the ways of generating universal altruism (bodhicitta) is equalizing and exchanging self for others. We do this when we practice Tonglen meditation also known as "sending and taking".
There are two aspects to Bodhichitta -- relative & absolute.
Relative Bodhichitta again is divided into two phases: (1) the intention and wish, nurtured by limitless compassion to attain liberation (nirvana) for the sake of the welfare of all beings. and (2) actual entry into meditation, the purpose of which is the acquisition of the appropriate means to actualize this wish.
Absolute Bodhichitta is the mind of enlightenment viewed as the of true nature of things (shunyata). Seeing things as they really are. or -- is a wisdom motivated by conventional bodhichitta that directly realizes emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena.
Bodhicitta is the supreme object of meditation, bodhicitta is the supreme object of any practice ..." Bodhicitta is supreme for it includes the interests of all sentient beings, which is the greatest of all practices. Shantideva says that if someone simply has the good heart to want to relieve another person of a headache, the merit from that good intention cannot be estimated. On the other hand It is said that if someone seals themself in a cave and does practice for an entire lifetime - but without bodhichitta - they will never attain enlightenment.
Most of us contract or pull away when confronted with another's suffering. How many times have you pulled away from a newscast, a homeless person or a friend experiencing suffering and needing our support? We pull away because we are afraid to let another's suffering enter our consciousness -- we think it is more than we can take - or we simply do not want to be bothered. Next time you notice that happen and you have enough awareness to see it happening try to changing your mental attitude - try opening to the suffering of another.
Suffering in the World Today
Today we have so many opportunities to work at being a Bodhisattva and applying Bodhichitta because there is incredible suffering in the world. There are no less than a dozen wars or conflicts going on around the globe as we sit here today.
Most people are shocked to learn that 30,000 die of starvation in the world every day. That means that every 2.4 seconds another one of our fellow human beings dies of starvation (85% occur in children under 5 years of age). In just the time it took me to say that sentence another one of our brothers or sisters died of starvation. Yet the great paradox is that there is enough food on this planet to feed everyone.
And we think that hunger is only a problem in other countries but the US Dept. of Agriculture reported that 35 million people in this country live in households considered to be food insecure. This is just another way of saying people who are hungry.
And in Africa alone about 1,000 Africans die of AIDs every day – that is 7,000 every a week.
Scientists along with Al Gore have warned us that global warming is a threat to all of us. Global warming is predicted to result in the sea levels rising – flooding many costal areas. Changes in rain patterns have already resulted in flooding in some areas and droughts in others.
The U.S. represents only 5% of the world’s population yet we consume 25% of the world’s natural resources.
When you think about all of the suffering in the world it can be a bit overwhelming. It is like being asked to swallow the sea.
We share this planet with 6 billion of our brothers and sisters. All of us must face the same personal, environmental, and societal problems.
So it is up us – each one of us to try to make a difference in the world. It was Gandhi who said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” That is the path of the Bodhisattva.
We are no longer just a global community; we are all part of one human family. All religions encourage good actions, moral virtues, personal responsibility and see the world and our lives as sacred and meaningful. We understand ourselves better by understanding others.
I want to tell you about Nikosi Johnson a young South African boy who died from AIDs at the tender age of 12. Before he died while speaking to an International AIDs conference he said:
"Do what you can
With what you have
In the time you have
In the place you are...."
I think he summed up the path of the Bodhisattva very well.
Each of you should have a copy of this incredibly beautiful prayer by Shantideva. It is taken from his text “Guide to A Bodhisatttva Way of Life.” Whenever I am asked to publicly give a Buddhist prayer I always recite this one. I have a Catholic friend who loves this so much she reads it first thing every morning. So, to close, let’s read this together.
Shantideva's Prayer
"May all beings everywhere
Plagued by sufferings of body and mind
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of my merits.
May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.
May the blind see forms,
And the deaf hear sounds.
May those whose bodies are worn with toil
Be restored on finding repose.
May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food;
May the thirsty find water
And delicious drinks.
May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy;
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness and prosperity.
May there be timely rains
And bountiful harvests;
May all medicine be effective
And wholesome prayers bear fruit.
May all who are sick and ill
Quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world,
May they never occur again.
May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed;
May the powerless find power
And may people think of benefiting each other."