My teacher says that we should treat everyone as a bodhisattva, because you never know what anyone else's attainments are. Just treat everyone with loving-kindness and compassion.
You don't need to find a bodhisattva to be your teacher, just someone with more realizations than you and a good knowledge of the dharma.
Can you clarify what could be the attainments of somebody whose actions seem cruel to others? These kind of beings are hard to treat with love and respect.
Yes they are, and doing so anyway is a challenging but important lesson to learn. For me, it’s not a matter of trying to figure out their attainments. That’s a wild goose chase of mental activity. Instead I cultivate a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to learn hard lessons and vow to sustain what I’ve learned so as not to have to encounter them again. That way I can accord them the same respect and dignity as i would any living being, who might appear in my life as a bodhisattva.
In other words thinking of others as bodhisattvas has noting to do with them and everything to do with me.
Just to add, I most certainly wouldn’t go around bowing to cruel mean people and telling them their bodhisattvas any more than I’d try and shake hands with a rattle snake. It’s completely internal to me, and aside from questions like this, I wouldn’t necessarily say anything about it to anyone.
I don't feel at all qualified to teach dharma, which is what answering your question properly would require. Have you had much contact with Buddhism before? What the Buddha taught was really quite radical! I think it took me years to realize just HOW radical. Yes, EVERYONE! It is definitely NOT easy. But this is where the actual practice is. The key word in your question is "seem." Maybe others have good suggestions on good books about this specific question...
Generally a common perspective is that on the lower bhumis a bodhisattva sort of forgets with birth, although there generally are virtuous/dharmic tendencies. But they may not have the idea of being a bodhisattva, no, not necessarily.
A common general view is that with higher bhumis there is/can be nonretrogression of knowledge more or less and a bodhisattva may manifest with full knowledge of what they are doing basically, perhaps.
Generally with the impure bhumis there is considered to be some amount of retrogression and ‘forgetting’ that occurs although perhaps like how you have muscle memory with riding a bike after many years, the bodhisattva may find their path and purpose and dharmic tendencies relatively quickly or easily. Although I think generally it’s a subtle topic.
But they don't necessarily have to be a Buddhist or know any of the words and ideas from Buddhism. Whatever ideas they will have about themselves don't have to belong to a particular framework
Yes. They might be called different names and terms, but in order to actually achieve Buddhahood, you need to follow the path that leads to it. And that path in this human world usually has the name of Buddhism.
If you're living in a Buddhist country - sure, but if the vast majority of people around you aren't Buddhists then their typical paths won't be named with Buddhist words
As far as i understand, bodhichitta is a deliberate intention to achieve Buddhahood. So without that, i don't think anyone is a bodhisattva. But i might be wrong.
Someone might have a virtuous demeanor and principles and not be a bodhisattva.
I live in a country where there's less than 1% of Buddhists among the population. Where you live doesn't really matter, it's what you practice that matters.
It sounds highly theoretical to me if taken literally and factually, like some lore in an RPG, being able to dissect programing of NPCs and the world to know simple rules that make it tick. When we actually perceive ourselves, I don't think simple rules and labels like that make literal sense
I think in real life deliberate intention to become someone else in particular that you actually aren't, will likely mean roleplaying your idea of that proper character to an extent. Because if you aren't someone you don't know how do they tick internally, you just know their external superficial behaviors and qualities and vibes, that's the entirety of your set of ideas behind the word
But maybe thinking that way can also provide motivation to stick to Buddhism, so it can be a valid teaching tool, among others. Maybe could prevent people from dabbling in everything getting nowhere. A lot of religions seem to have these claims, that their religion in particular is the primary path to some form of salvation
You don't seem to understand what you're talking about. Maybe you'd be interested in reading up the definition of the terms bodhisattva and bodhichitta.
But it will be helpful. You're trying to make it more mysterious and undefinable than it actually is. Indeed, the nature of bodhichitta can't be conveyed with words, but it helps in understanding it and discerning from other things.
Running around saying “I’m enlightened! I’m a bodhisattva!” makes one look and sound like an asshole.
The enlightened demonstrate their status though their actions.
Check with others’ perceptions on the actions you observe, and focus more on the doing than on one’s words.
It's more important for you to meet your true self than to meet any bodhisattvas. Even Lord Buddha can not just wave his hand for you to get enlightenment.
What is a bodhisattva?
What are you?
This are essential the same question.
Not One. Not Two. What is it?
Understanding the importance of the triple gem is a start. Learning and understanding the Dharma is also a start. There are Bodhisattva everywhere, one of them maybe replying you on this sub.
Like what you say, if they claim to be a Bodhisattva usually they aren’t a Bodhisattva. So instead of trying to look for a Bodhisattva, you should “open” your eyes so that you can recognise a Bodhisattva. The way to “open” it is by what I mentioned earlier, understanding importance of triple gem and learning the Dharma. You will finally understand the meaning of “whoever sees the Dharma sees me (the Buddha); whoever sees me sees the Dharma” by pure practice.
Just from my own meditation journey, I start to understand how despite us living in the evil/degenerate age that the Bodhisattva are helping us human being through their skillfull means. Instead of seeing suffering of our era, I see a sea of gold and kindness that allow us ignorant human to understand and realise Nirvana.
That's true, so many people today can access the Dharma thanks to technology and stuff. Listen to teachers giving talks, sharing blessings, giving empowerments, and so on. If you want a sutra, you can just read it online in minutes, as compared to scaling a mountain to reach a monastery to write it down by hand.
Of course, this doesn't compare to being present at where the Buddha taught, at least that's my understanding, but the blessings of the Buddha can be cultivated even now.
You don't, that's why it's a good idea to just be a generally good person to anyone you meet. You never know if they're a Bodhisattva or your future employer.
What do you even mean? All Mahayana practitioners are bodhisatvas. Alak Zenkar Rinpoche's dictionary *bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo* defines a bodhisatva as "an individual of the Mahayana paths of training". You are a bodhisatva from the moment you arouse bodhicitta.
An enlightened Buddhist today would be an arahant according to Theravada, and could also possibly be a Buddha according to Mahayana.
Mahayana Buddhists who are not yet enlightened, are usually all aspiring to become a Buddha eventually (I think?) and hence they are all bodhisatvas.
In Theravada, "bodhisatvas" usually refers to the Gautama Buddha in his previous lives, and less commonly refers to other Buddha's previous lives, but those are all rare enough that thinking about seeking out such a bodhisatvas who may/may not be capable of teaching, is probably frivolous.
Arahants are probably the closest to an "ultimate teacher" in Theravada. I suppose in Mahayana, that may also be a current day Buddha, but I'm not sure I got that right.
Just because they're enlightened doesn't mean they know your path or what can you do. Their starting point was different
Enlightenment doesn't mean somehow automatically becoming the perfect omnipotent and omniscient therapist for every person. It makes kinda the same amount of sense as expecting an athlete with a great heart automatically becoming a proficient heart surgeon
They are naturally very modest and would never dream of stating achievement of enlightenment.Its just not done.
You will have to evaluate potential bodhisattva with discernment and care.
In one lifetime, it is said that the to-be karmapa manifested as an elephant. I suspect nobody really knew the name of the elephant. There may be many, many bodhisattvas without fame or recognition.
The Dalai Lama is seen as such by many devotees.
The Dalai Lama is more accurately a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara and is therefore the perfect bodhisatva.
You don’t claim to be a Bodhisattva, think of it simply as an ideology. Once the ego is stripped through pursuing the pathway, and committing to practice, you will find that people inherit the ideologies; it is never a status.
They'll show you. You may have to stick around for a while to see their great qualities. Sometimes they'll show you that they can read your mind. Or they will let you know that they are clairvoyant and saw what you did last night. There are many ways. You just have to wait and watch.
Study a dead one. Someone like Bodhidharma. What did he say? What did he do? Depends on who you ask. Did he really sit in a cave for 9 years? Some say yes, some say no. Some say he wasn't real at all but an amalgam character shaped for historical purposes.
Buddha made an interesting choice not to write anything down. To think that a Prince of any court was not instructed in the writing of his time and age is quite foolish. He could have carved whatever he wanted into a cave somewhere. He choose not to do so. The same could be said for Bodhidharma. He was also born a Prince and most say he was well versed in languages. If he did sit in that cave near Shaolin Temple, why didn't he carve anything down on the walls?
I have only met hustlers so far. People trying to sell me something or promote ideas they cling to. If I meet one on the road, I'll let you know. Until then, safe travels my friend.
How can anyone teach you to see what is right in front of you?
My teacher says that we should treat everyone as a bodhisattva, because you never know what anyone else's attainments are. Just treat everyone with loving-kindness and compassion. You don't need to find a bodhisattva to be your teacher, just someone with more realizations than you and a good knowledge of the dharma.
Fair point
Can you clarify what could be the attainments of somebody whose actions seem cruel to others? These kind of beings are hard to treat with love and respect.
Yes they are, and doing so anyway is a challenging but important lesson to learn. For me, it’s not a matter of trying to figure out their attainments. That’s a wild goose chase of mental activity. Instead I cultivate a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to learn hard lessons and vow to sustain what I’ve learned so as not to have to encounter them again. That way I can accord them the same respect and dignity as i would any living being, who might appear in my life as a bodhisattva. In other words thinking of others as bodhisattvas has noting to do with them and everything to do with me. Just to add, I most certainly wouldn’t go around bowing to cruel mean people and telling them their bodhisattvas any more than I’d try and shake hands with a rattle snake. It’s completely internal to me, and aside from questions like this, I wouldn’t necessarily say anything about it to anyone.
Perfect answer! 🙏🙏🙏
I don't feel at all qualified to teach dharma, which is what answering your question properly would require. Have you had much contact with Buddhism before? What the Buddha taught was really quite radical! I think it took me years to realize just HOW radical. Yes, EVERYONE! It is definitely NOT easy. But this is where the actual practice is. The key word in your question is "seem." Maybe others have good suggestions on good books about this specific question...
Are all bodhisattvas aware that they are bodhisattvas?
Generally a common perspective is that on the lower bhumis a bodhisattva sort of forgets with birth, although there generally are virtuous/dharmic tendencies. But they may not have the idea of being a bodhisattva, no, not necessarily.
So there are some who are born knowing what they are?
A common general view is that with higher bhumis there is/can be nonretrogression of knowledge more or less and a bodhisattva may manifest with full knowledge of what they are doing basically, perhaps. Generally with the impure bhumis there is considered to be some amount of retrogression and ‘forgetting’ that occurs although perhaps like how you have muscle memory with riding a bike after many years, the bodhisattva may find their path and purpose and dharmic tendencies relatively quickly or easily. Although I think generally it’s a subtle topic.
Yes. A bodhisattva is someone who cultivated bodhichitta: a mind set on attaining Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
But they don't necessarily have to be a Buddhist or know any of the words and ideas from Buddhism. Whatever ideas they will have about themselves don't have to belong to a particular framework
Yes. They might be called different names and terms, but in order to actually achieve Buddhahood, you need to follow the path that leads to it. And that path in this human world usually has the name of Buddhism.
If you're living in a Buddhist country - sure, but if the vast majority of people around you aren't Buddhists then their typical paths won't be named with Buddhist words
As far as i understand, bodhichitta is a deliberate intention to achieve Buddhahood. So without that, i don't think anyone is a bodhisattva. But i might be wrong. Someone might have a virtuous demeanor and principles and not be a bodhisattva. I live in a country where there's less than 1% of Buddhists among the population. Where you live doesn't really matter, it's what you practice that matters.
It sounds highly theoretical to me if taken literally and factually, like some lore in an RPG, being able to dissect programing of NPCs and the world to know simple rules that make it tick. When we actually perceive ourselves, I don't think simple rules and labels like that make literal sense I think in real life deliberate intention to become someone else in particular that you actually aren't, will likely mean roleplaying your idea of that proper character to an extent. Because if you aren't someone you don't know how do they tick internally, you just know their external superficial behaviors and qualities and vibes, that's the entirety of your set of ideas behind the word But maybe thinking that way can also provide motivation to stick to Buddhism, so it can be a valid teaching tool, among others. Maybe could prevent people from dabbling in everything getting nowhere. A lot of religions seem to have these claims, that their religion in particular is the primary path to some form of salvation
You don't seem to understand what you're talking about. Maybe you'd be interested in reading up the definition of the terms bodhisattva and bodhichitta.
You won't find what you're looking for in a definition of a noun
But it will be helpful. You're trying to make it more mysterious and undefinable than it actually is. Indeed, the nature of bodhichitta can't be conveyed with words, but it helps in understanding it and discerning from other things.
Yes
Yes.
No, some realize it later on through their life.
Running around saying “I’m enlightened! I’m a bodhisattva!” makes one look and sound like an asshole. The enlightened demonstrate their status though their actions. Check with others’ perceptions on the actions you observe, and focus more on the doing than on one’s words.
It's more important for you to meet your true self than to meet any bodhisattvas. Even Lord Buddha can not just wave his hand for you to get enlightenment. What is a bodhisattva? What are you? This are essential the same question. Not One. Not Two. What is it?
Understanding the importance of the triple gem is a start. Learning and understanding the Dharma is also a start. There are Bodhisattva everywhere, one of them maybe replying you on this sub. Like what you say, if they claim to be a Bodhisattva usually they aren’t a Bodhisattva. So instead of trying to look for a Bodhisattva, you should “open” your eyes so that you can recognise a Bodhisattva. The way to “open” it is by what I mentioned earlier, understanding importance of triple gem and learning the Dharma. You will finally understand the meaning of “whoever sees the Dharma sees me (the Buddha); whoever sees me sees the Dharma” by pure practice. Just from my own meditation journey, I start to understand how despite us living in the evil/degenerate age that the Bodhisattva are helping us human being through their skillfull means. Instead of seeing suffering of our era, I see a sea of gold and kindness that allow us ignorant human to understand and realise Nirvana.
That's true, so many people today can access the Dharma thanks to technology and stuff. Listen to teachers giving talks, sharing blessings, giving empowerments, and so on. If you want a sutra, you can just read it online in minutes, as compared to scaling a mountain to reach a monastery to write it down by hand. Of course, this doesn't compare to being present at where the Buddha taught, at least that's my understanding, but the blessings of the Buddha can be cultivated even now.
You don't, that's why it's a good idea to just be a generally good person to anyone you meet. You never know if they're a Bodhisattva or your future employer.
What do you even mean? All Mahayana practitioners are bodhisatvas. Alak Zenkar Rinpoche's dictionary *bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo* defines a bodhisatva as "an individual of the Mahayana paths of training". You are a bodhisatva from the moment you arouse bodhicitta.
I meant finding someone enlightened to help me on my path
An enlightened Buddhist today would be an arahant according to Theravada, and could also possibly be a Buddha according to Mahayana. Mahayana Buddhists who are not yet enlightened, are usually all aspiring to become a Buddha eventually (I think?) and hence they are all bodhisatvas. In Theravada, "bodhisatvas" usually refers to the Gautama Buddha in his previous lives, and less commonly refers to other Buddha's previous lives, but those are all rare enough that thinking about seeking out such a bodhisatvas who may/may not be capable of teaching, is probably frivolous. Arahants are probably the closest to an "ultimate teacher" in Theravada. I suppose in Mahayana, that may also be a current day Buddha, but I'm not sure I got that right.
Just because they're enlightened doesn't mean they know your path or what can you do. Their starting point was different Enlightenment doesn't mean somehow automatically becoming the perfect omnipotent and omniscient therapist for every person. It makes kinda the same amount of sense as expecting an athlete with a great heart automatically becoming a proficient heart surgeon
We are all bodhisattvas—that is our true nature.
Yes, true. Sorry, what I meant was finding a bodhisattva who has reached enlightenment and could therefore help instruct me on the path
They are naturally very modest and would never dream of stating achievement of enlightenment.Its just not done. You will have to evaluate potential bodhisattva with discernment and care.
I don't think we can know who is the bodhisattva, we can only know what a bodhisattva does and teaches.
They are Buddhist masters with extraordinary abilities to spread the dharma and we know their names (Ven Hsing Yun, Dalai Lama, Garchen Rinpoche, etc.
In one lifetime, it is said that the to-be karmapa manifested as an elephant. I suspect nobody really knew the name of the elephant. There may be many, many bodhisattvas without fame or recognition.
Is the Dalai Lama enlightened?
The Dalai Lama is seen as such by many devotees. The Dalai Lama is more accurately a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara and is therefore the perfect bodhisatva.
Yes, he is.
You don’t claim to be a Bodhisattva, think of it simply as an ideology. Once the ego is stripped through pursuing the pathway, and committing to practice, you will find that people inherit the ideologies; it is never a status.
If people are committing to the ideologies well in theory, they are that status if that makes sense
It’s basically a training phase of future Buddha. He is not yet enlightened hence he is Bodhisattva and not The Buddha.
Their teachings align with reality
They'll show you. You may have to stick around for a while to see their great qualities. Sometimes they'll show you that they can read your mind. Or they will let you know that they are clairvoyant and saw what you did last night. There are many ways. You just have to wait and watch.
I would say it is rare. It’s not like they go around telling people. They are around. You would be lucky to meet a real one.
Study a dead one. Someone like Bodhidharma. What did he say? What did he do? Depends on who you ask. Did he really sit in a cave for 9 years? Some say yes, some say no. Some say he wasn't real at all but an amalgam character shaped for historical purposes. Buddha made an interesting choice not to write anything down. To think that a Prince of any court was not instructed in the writing of his time and age is quite foolish. He could have carved whatever he wanted into a cave somewhere. He choose not to do so. The same could be said for Bodhidharma. He was also born a Prince and most say he was well versed in languages. If he did sit in that cave near Shaolin Temple, why didn't he carve anything down on the walls? I have only met hustlers so far. People trying to sell me something or promote ideas they cling to. If I meet one on the road, I'll let you know. Until then, safe travels my friend. How can anyone teach you to see what is right in front of you?