Saving ALL sentient beings

[Onsho]

A bodhisattva chooses to stay in the cycle of rebirth until everyone is ready to get off.
Does this mean they are in the cycle until all sentient beings become Buddhist?
Can samsara be left without the formal dharma?

Gassho
Keith
sat

[Jundo]

A bodhisattva chooses to stay in the cycle of rebirth until everyone is ready to get off.
Does this mean they are in the cycle until all sentient beings become Buddhist?
Can samsara be left without the formal dharma?

Well, we try to avoid "how many angels can sit on the head of a pin?" arguments, but ...

One way to liberate "all sentient beings from the cycle of rebirth" is to bring the sentient beings to profound understanding that there never were any "separate sentient beings" nor "birth and death" nor anything to be liberated right from that startless start. In the sweeping Wholeness of "Emptiness," all just flows free of separation, coming or departing. The separate sentient beings simply do not realize this fact, thus are trapped.

Need one be Buddhist to realize so? I don't know, but perhaps others find some equivalent understanding through Jesus, Brahma, drugs, the mathematics of physics, music and the like.

Anyway, such realization is only a portion of the Zen journey: Even realizing that there are no "separate sentient beings" and no "birth and death," how do we sentient beings then get on with the fact that we should continue to live, with wisdom and poise, in this life of birth and death (which, by the way, has been just Emptiness in other guise all along)? Even tasting "Emptiness," we do not just stay there all our life.

Gassho, J

stlah

[michaelw]

Diamond Sutra covers this if you haven't already read it?

Gassho
MichaelW

satlah

[Onsho]

Thanks Roshi.

That gave me a couple things to ponder about, and all my questions that came out of that had an answer waiting for me in that response. Your very good at this.

Gassho
Keith
Sat

[Rich]

Thanks Roshi.

That gave me a couple things to ponder about, and all my questions that came out of that had an answer waiting for me in that response. Your very good at this.

Gassho
Keith
Sat

Yes jundo is a wise old teacher [emoji3]
Sat/lah


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[Jundo]

Yes jundo is a wise old teacher [emoji3]
Sat/lah

Not as old as you, and not getting any closer!

Gassho, Jundo

SatLah

[Rich]

Not as old as you, and not getting any closer!

Gassho, Jundo

SatLah

I'm so old that when I was a kid, our smartphones had cords and were attached to the wall! Lol

Blessed and lucky to be 76

Sat/lah


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[Risho]

it’s good to see you around the forums Rich!



Rish
-stlah