5.1: The Bodhisattva Doctrine
· Cush:
o "Being of enlightenment."
· Save all beings.
· Become a Bodhisattva via the Path.
o Living a good Buddhist life and worshipping, eventually will gain a spiritual breakthrough and start leading others.
· Must follow 10 Bhumis and 10 Paramitas.
Bodhicitta:
· Desire to liberate oneself and all others from suffering.
· All merit earned is given to others for their benefit.
o Sambodhis have unlimited merit and so can transfer to others.
· Conventional level:
o Help all beings.
· Ultimate level:
o These beings do not exist, having no inherent existence.
· Dalai Lama:
o Helping others = "wise selfishness"
Sambodhi:
· A fully enlightened being.
· Avalokitesvara:
o Bodhisattva of compassion.
o Represented as female.
o First described in the Lotus sutra.
· Manjusri:
o Bodhisattva of wisdom.
o First referred to in the Prajnaparamita sutras, Lotus Sutra gives him a Pure Land.
· Maitreya:
o Bodhisattva of Loving-kindness.
o Future Buddha.
§ Descend to preach a new the dharma once it has been forgotten
o Theravada.
Basham:
· View on Bodhisattva:
o Originated in the Theravada idea of the future Buddha.
§ Once the ideas of more than one Buddha realised
· =Mahayana conception of multiple Buddhas
o 'Suffering Saviour':
§ Bodhisattvas = suffering on behalf of others.
Rahula:
· Theravada.
· View on Bodhisattva:
o Originated in Theravada as the highest spiritual ideal.
§ Not everyone can achieve.
· Only Kings and the Buddha.
o Rejects trikaya doctrine:
§ Unhelpful and heretical to 'original teaching'.
o "Anyone can become a Bodhisattva' which is considered not practical."
Lotus Sutra:
· 1 Vehicle, All have the Buddha-nature.
· Spoken by the Buddha:
o Arhats leave = weakness of Theravadins.
· "The way you walk is the Bodhisattva way... you will all become Buddhas."
· Ekyana:
o One path:
§ The Bodhisattva path is the only way to enlightenment.
· Upaya:
o Skilful means
· Parable of the magical city:
o Travellers on a long journey. Some become worn down.
o Buddha creates an illusory magic city, which revitalises them.
o Allows them to get to the real magic city.
Trikaya doctrine:
· 3 bodies of the Buddha.
o Nirmanakaya:
§ Teaching body.
§ The physical manifestation of an enlightened being.
· E.g. historical Buddha (Mahayana/Theravadin disputes.)
o Sambhogakaya:
§ Actual body.
§ The dimension of energy where enlightened reside in.
§ 5 cosmic Buddhas each who reign over their own Buddha worlds
o Dharmakaya:
§ Celestial body.
§ The enlightened mind, purified consciousness and beyond words.
§ Has always existed = all have Buddha-nature.
· Sun analogy:
o Dharmakaya:
§ Sun
o Sambhogakaya:
§ Sun rays
o Nirmanakaya:
§ Sun rays hitting the earth
· Basham:
o "The Buddha had 3 bodies, the body of essence, the body of bliss and the transformation body."
Buddha in Mahayana:
· Multiple Buddhas.
· All beings have the potential of Buddhahood.
· Basham:
o "Vehicle which would carry many souls to salvation."
· Madhyamaka:
o Founded by Nagarjuna:
§ Went to underwater palace to find hidden teachings.
o All is conditioned.
· Yogacara:
o Mind only.
o Founded by Asanga.
§ Compares reality to dreaming.
· "Where there is nothing to grasp there is no more grasping."
o Reality is only a mental construction.
§ Dreams prove these are possible.
§ Lankavatara Sutra:
· "The world is nothing more than thought constructions."
o Reality is...
§ Constructed.
§ Dependent.
§ Perfection
· Tathagatagarbha:
o Buddha nature school.
o "In each being there exists in embryonic form the element of the tathagata."
o Enlightenment is uncovering not discovering as we already have it.
§ Dirty diamond.
Theraveda:
· View on Bodhisattva:
o Reject the ability to transfer karmic merit and trikaya doctrine .
§ Does not encourage the individual to improve.
· Claim identity with original Sthavira school.
o Teachings are pure.
§ However, does not mean the teachings remained the same.
§ Keown:
· "There is no historical evidence that the Theravada school rose until after the Great Schism."
· Arhat:
o Monk who has achieved enlightenment.
o Stream-enterer:
§ First direct insight, eliminates illusion.
o Once-returner:
§ Another insight, furthers anatta.
o Never-returner:
§ Hindrances completely gone, tranquility.
o Arhat:
§ Achieved Nirvana.
o Merit:
§ Just good Karma.
§ Only generated if the intention is to help others
§ Generated through:
· Dana:
o Lay support for the clergy.
· Sila:
o Following codes such as the 5 precepts.
· Bhavana:
o Development meditation.