Percopsiformes

The term Sanskrit of bodhisattva , Pāli bodhisatta , being ( sattva ) of awakening ( bodhi ), belongs to the religious vocabulary of the Bouddhisme.

Devanāgarī: बोधिसत्तवः; Japanese: 菩薩 (bosatsu); Chinese traditional: 菩薩 and simplified: 菩萨 (púsà); Thai: พระโพธิสัตว์; Korean: 보살 (bosal); Tibetan: changchub sempa (byang-chub sems-dpa'); Vietnamese: Bồ Tát.

Birth of the bodhisattva

Primitive Buddhism knew the Four beings noble, four stages increasingly advanced on the way of the awakening; the last, which should have been reached to arrive at the Nirvāna, is that of arahant (or arhat). Very early, if one believes the history of the Buddhist Conciles of it, of the disciples mentioned collectively under the name of “large assembly” ( mahasanghika ) disputed the quality of the arhats while pointing out that they preserved still too imperfections.

In parallel, the term of bodhisattva , not clearly clarified, appears in the Majjhima Nikaya , the Anguttara Nikaya and the Samyutta Nikaya , used exclusively by Gautama itself when it refers to its existences former or its stay to the paradise Tusita (“When I was bodhisattva… ”). A passage of the Sutta Nipata gives a little more precise details, indicating that it is about a way in which Gautama engaged voluntarily by compassion.

The bodhisattva in the various currents

Theravada

In the Buddhavamsa and the Cariyapitaka , which mention the Buddhas having preceded Gautama, the state of bodhisattva (bodhisatta) is presented in a more detailed way as the way borrowed by all the Buddhas of last the. They engaged there by making some the wish whereas they were about to become arahant. Contrary to the others arahants which are on the point of leaving the cycle of the rebirths (Samsara), the boddhisattva chooses to continue to improve during innumerable éons to become a samyaksambuddha, only being able to restart the wheel of the Dharma, and thus to contribute more than anyone to the universal hello. Nevertheless, like pointed out Walpola Rahula, in the theravada the way of boddhisattva is possible only for the beings of exception.

Those seem to be formerly identified with the sovereigns, first of all with Sri Lanka, then as from the 8th century in Burma and Thailand. The king Mahinda IV (956-972) of Sri Lanka even affirmed that only a bodhisattva would have the right from now on to control the kingdom. This king must in theory practice in a bright way the four virtues of gift (Dana), of morality (sila), abstinence (samyama) and reserve (rammed). The association of the bodhisattvas with the nobility is reflected in their clothing and ornaments such as they are represented in the Indian iconography; Gautama itself was born prince. Very rare are thus the practitioners of Buddhism theravada who expressed their intention to become bodhisattva; only recognized by this current are the Buddhas of passed and Gautama in their former existences, like Maitreya, announced like future Buddha by Gautama itself.

Mahayana and Vajrayana

The philosophers Nagarjuna, Asanga and Candrakirti defined the mahayana as the way of the bodhisattva, in opposition to the Hinayana, way of the listener (Sravaka); the career of bodhisattva is for them by far the best choice. In the mahayana and the vajrayana, each one, even laic, is encouraged to have for goal to become bodhisattva and can pronounce wishes for this purpose. The bodhisattvas are numerous and play a big role in the practices, being even sometimes révérés following the example divinities. Still more accomplished than those of the theravada, they are beings of “marvellous kindness” which, having carried to perfection (Paramita) the practice of the gifts (Dana) and of wisdom (Prajna) during many existences, transcended the duality between nirvâna and will samsara to remain active in the world and to help the whole of the beings to find their delivery. The practitioners of the mahayana and the vajrayana often present their objective (to become bodhisattva to save all the beings) like altruistic than that of the theravada (to become arhat and to aspire only to its own safety). For the practitioners of the theravada, the objective of the boddhisattva is unrealistic for the majority of people and it is more effective than each one concentrates on its own safety.

The way of the bodhisattva

Various texts describe the stages, called bhumi (ground), which a candidate bodhisattva must cross to arrive at the state of Buddha. The Budhavamsa of the literature faded considers a stage of preparation, then three great stages of several let us éons each one. In the Chinese world, the Sutra of the ten grounds of Vasubandhu describes ten stages towards the state of Buddha, and the Sutra Gandavyuha fifty-two . They are integrated into the Sutra Avatamsaka of which they constitute the section Rufajiepin (入法界品).

The most widespread version is that of the ten stages, preceded by two preliminary phases of accumulation of merits and preparation. Each of the first six stages is associated with a perfection which must be controlled: generosity, virtue, patience, effort, meditation, and finally wisdom. At this stage, the bodhisattva transcends the difference between Nirvāna and Samsara. It perfect at the seventh stage the gift of Upaya kaushalya giving him more effectiveness in its work of guide towards the awakening, sometimes considered as a seventh perfection. At the eighth and ninth stages, it has already a body dharmic ( dharmadhatujakaya ) which enables him to save the beings in various forms in various places. The tenth stage is that of Buddha.

Wishes of bodhisattva

To become Buddha, arhant or bodhisattva, it is necessary to have expressed of it the wish at the time of a former existence. The practitioners of the mahayana and the vajrayana usually pronounce wishes of bodhisattva. Concretely, they are committed respecting a certain number of the many recommendations and prohibitions suggested by Buddhist ethics. The imposed number depends on the traditions and the statute of the practitioner; it is normally less important for the laic ones than for the monks or nuns. The rules not enfreindre under penalty of losing for many existences the spiritual benefit making it possible to take this route are called principal wishes (or wish-roots in the vajrayana). They are supplemented by minor wishes which decrease the merits, but in a less way. There are various lists comprising of many common points, particularly with regard to the principal rules, whose ten first are almost identical to the general precepts of Buddhism. The secondary rules for submission to laic can be culturally specific, like the prohibition of the breeding of the Silkworm in China.

The formulation of the wishes takes as a starting point various texts, among which one can quote:

the Sutra of the net of Brahma , translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva towards 400, which contains a list of ten principal wishes and forty-eight minor wishes, influence in Sino-Japanese Buddhism;
the Sutra S mentioning the famous wishes of bodhisattvas like Ksitigarbha ( Sutra of the wish of Dizangwang 地藏菩薩本愿經), Samantabhadra ( Sutra Avatamsaka ) or the future Amitabha ( Small Sukhavati-vyuha Sūtra 佛說阿彌陀經);
the Mahaparinirvana will sutra (大般涅槃經), the Pusa dichi jing (菩薩地持經), the Youposai jiejing (優婆塞戒經);
apocryphal books Chinese, particularly important starting from the Song, in conformity with the ideal confucéen: Fanwang jing (梵網經) and Pusa yinglo jing (菩薩瓔珞經);
the Bodhisattvabhumi , written towards 300 by Asanga, whose eighteen minor wishes roots and the forty six wishes are still in force in the traditions Gelugpa and Kagyupa of the Bouddhisme Tibetan;

As example, the ten principal wishes of the Sutra of the net of Brahma are:

not to remove the life;
not to fly;
not to make itself guilty of sexual misconduct;
not to lie or deform the truth;
not to have a contact with alcohol;
not to discuss the faults of the other Buddhists;
not to praise or say evil of others;
not to miss generosity or regards towards those which are in the need;
not to let itself go to anger or resentment and not encourage it at the others;
not to say evil of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha).

In the currents chan and Zen, the laic ones often pronounce the four following wishes (Sìhóngshìyuàn 四弘誓願):

To work with the release of all the living beings until the last (眾生無邊誓願度);
To eliminate without slackening the negative thoughts (煩惱無盡誓願);
not to leave a side no way of deepening of the dharma (法門無量誓願學);
To continue its efforts until highest Bodhicitta and the state of Buddha (佛道無上誓願成);

The wishes of bodhisattvas were a great success in China starting from the Song. They could indeed be taken near laic, and by isolated people of the monastic life by the Vinaya, as “the Hermaphrodite S, the people too sensual, the gods and the demons”; one granted to them moreover the capacity “to purify instantaneously the bad Karma S, contrary to the method Hinayana which progresses by stages”.

Principal bodhisattvas

A true worship their is returned, extending sometimes beyond the properly Buddhist field, particularly in China where four of them (Avalokiteshvara, Ksitigarbha, Manjusri, Maitreya) one a double nature of bodhisattva and divinity of the popular religion. The terrestrial places where they are famous to have reached the illumination, called bodhimandas , become often goals of Pèlerinage, as Bodh-Gaya where is located the Arbre of the bodhi, or four Buddhist mounts of China.

Akasagarbha “Basket of vacuity”
Avalokiteshvara (Chenzérig in Tibetan, Japanese Kannon, Kwan Yin in Chinese), “That which looks at downwards with compassion”. It represents the compassion of Amitabha. When it holds a lotus and a rosary, it is called Padmapani;
Ksitigarbha, “which with the ground for matrix”;
Mahasthamaprapta, “that which acquired a great force”;
Maitreya, “That which likes”. It has the gilded dye, is capped with a crown or a diadem, with often a stupa in the hairstyle. It holds a lotus or a bottle of ambrosia;
Manjusri, “With the charming glare”. Always young person, it carries the sword, with which it slices ignorance, and Prajñaparamita Sutra delivers it;
Samantabhadra “Auspicieux”;
Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin
Vajrapani, the “carrier of will vajra”;

Except for Mahastamaprapta (sometimes confused with Vajrapani), they set up the group of Eight Large Bodhisattvas (ashtamahabodhisattva). Avalokiteshvara, Vajrapani and Manjushri have in Tibet a particular role of owner (riksum gonpo).

Iconography

The bodhisattvas often have a pace and a princely port: avoided jewels, (thirteen ornaments in theory, whose collar, bracelets, earrings, girdle…) they wear the loincloth, the diadem, some time the cord brahmanic. They are often represented sat, in the attitudes “of ease” or “royal relaxation” (a leg folded up on the seat, the other hanging one). A large smoothness, and a female appearance characterize them. Often they hold a lotus of the right hand. They have a high chignon and the urna on the face. In their hairstyle, they can carry the effigy of the Jina (Buddha) on which they depend or are the emanation (Buddhism tantric). Thus, Avalokiteshvara carries the effigy of Amitabha.

Random links:

Laugh-Orangis | Maurice Banide | QRN on Bretzelburg | Assahrij | France with the Winter Olympics of 1968