A Bodhisattva is someone who says from the depth of his or her heart,
“I
want to be liberated and find ways to overcome
all the problems of the
world.
I want to help all my fellow beings to do likewise.
I long to
attain the highest state of everlasting peace and happiness,
in which
all suffering has ceased,
and I want to do so for myself and for all
sentient beings.”
According to the
Buddha’s teaching, anyone who makes this firm and heartfelt commitment
is a Bodhisattva. We become Bodhisattvas from the moment we have this
vast and open heart, called Bodhichitta ( is a compassion for all beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently existing self.) , the mind bent on bringing
lasting happiness to all sentient beings.
Buddhist literature defines three types of bodhisattvas:
Buddhist literature defines three types of bodhisattvas:
the kinglike bodhisattva,
the
captainlike bodhisattva,
and the shepherdlike bodhisattva.
A kinglike bodhisattva is like a good king who first wants everything luxurious for himself, like a big palace, a large entourage, a beautiful queen, and so on. But once his happiness has been achieved, he also wants to help and support his subjects as much as possible.
A kinglike bodhisattva is like a good king who first wants everything luxurious for himself, like a big palace, a large entourage, a beautiful queen, and so on. But once his happiness has been achieved, he also wants to help and support his subjects as much as possible.
Accordingly,
a kinglike bodhisattva has the motivation,
“First, I want to free
myself from samsara and attain perfect enlightenment. As soon as I have
reached buddhahood, I will help all other sentient beings to become
buddhas as well.”
A captainlike bodhisattva would say,
“I would
like to become a Buddha, and I will take all other sentient beings
along with me so that we reach enlightenment together.”
This is just as
the captain of a ship crosses the sea, he takes his passengers with him,
and they reach the far shore simultaneously.
A shepherdlike bodhisattva is inspired by thinking,
A shepherdlike bodhisattva is inspired by thinking,
“I want to help all sentient beings
to reach enlightenment and see the truth. Only when this is achieved
and samsara is emptied will I become a buddha myself.”
In actual fact it
may not happen this way, but anyone who has this motivation is called a
“shepherdlike bodhisattva.” In the old days, sheep were not kept in
fenced pastures, and the shepherds had to bring them down from the
mountains to protect them from wolves. They would follow behind the
sheep, guiding them into their pen and lock them in. A shepherd would
take care of his sheep first, and only then would he go home and eat.
The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara developed this shepherdlike motivation and is therefore considered to be the most courageous and compassionate of beings. He vowed, “I will not attain complete enlightenment until I have led all sentient beings to liberation without leaving a single one behind.”
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
—The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara developed this shepherdlike motivation and is therefore considered to be the most courageous and compassionate of beings. He vowed, “I will not attain complete enlightenment until I have led all sentient beings to liberation without leaving a single one behind.”
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
The principles of Lord Bodhisattva should be followed by everyone.
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