What Is A Bodhisattva?

[Heishu]

I was looking at a formal definition of what is a Bodhisattva and I thought some look upon a Bodhisattva as almost a supreme being performing miracles and such. Some see a Bodhisattva as someone struggling through life but devoted to helping others. I think it is so cool when you see someone that will sacrifice to help someone else. Someone that does for others without asking for the favor to be returned. Then I thought about two Bodhisattvas here at Treeleaf that give of themselves so that we might have this Sangha.

One Bodhisattva named Jundo took it upon himself to travel across a large chunk of America to help the sentient beings he met along the way.

One Bodhisattva named Taigu took it upon himself to travel to Washington, D.C. to help the sentient beings he met along the way.

Both of these men, our teachers, did so to help nurture this Sangha. They did so in an unselfish and most caring way and I wish to thank them both for doing so. Many of our members and Priests In Training were able to meet and learn from them and they greatly benefited from this experience. Many members like myself were able to do the same via the many videos they shared.

Jundo and Taigu, my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to both of you for serving us in such a humble and wonderful way during the past few days.

Gassho,
Heihsu

P.S. I want to add a note of thanks to a few other Bodhisattvas, too many for me to name here. Each one of you sacrificed to give Jundo a place to stay and food to eat. Some other Bodhisattvas helped Taigu in making the Washington retreat a reality. To all of these Bodhisattvas I thank you for your service to our teachers to make their trips to America a success.

[Jundo]

Everyone here is a Bodhisattva. We all help each other. Uchiyama Roshi wrote ...

A BODHISATTVA IS an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of buddha. You're a bodhisattva, I'm a bodhisattva; actually, anyone who directs their attention, their life, to practicing the way of life of a buddha is a bodhisattva. We read about Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva) or Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri Bodhisattva), and these are great bodhisattvas, but we, too, have to have confidence or faith that we are also bodhisattvas.

...

The life that flows through each of us and through everything around us is actually all connected. To say that, of course, means that who I really am cannot be separated from all the things that surround me. Or, to put it another way, all sentient beings have their existence and live within my life. So needless to say, that includes even the fate of all mankind--that, too, lies within me. Therefore, just how mankind might truly live out its life becomes what I aim at as my direction. This aiming or living while moving in a certain direction is what is meant by vow. In other words, it is the motivation for living that is different for a bodhisattva. Ordinary people live thinking only about their own personal, narrow circumstances connected with their desires. In contrast to that, a bodhisattva, though undeniably still an ordinary human being like everyone else, lives by vow. Because of that, the significance of his or her life is not the same. For us as bodhisattvas, all aspects of life, including the fate of humanity itself, live within us. It is with this in mind that we work to discover and manifest the most vital and alive posture that we can take in living out our life.

http://www.tricycle.com/new-buddhism...at-bodhisattva

Also, a Bodhisattva is someone who has vowed to hold off on one's final Enlightenment until all the other Sentient Beings enter into Nirvana first (the realization of which, by the way, may involve all the Sentient Beings realizing that there never were Sentient Beings in need of rescue, nor a Nirvana that can or need be entered! )

The Great Bodhisattvas are paradigms and symbols for the attributes of Wisdom and Compassion to which we may aspire. Here is a series I offered awhile back on the Bodhisattva Virtues and some of the Great Bodhisattvas ...

Whattsa Who'sa Bodhisattva? (A Sit-a-Long Series)

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?8860-Whattsa-Who-sa-Bodhisattva-%28A-Sit-a-Long-Series%29

Taigu also offered a view talks on Bodhisattva-ness ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?7679-Bodhisattva-Basics

Gassho, J

[Jika]

Heishu,

thank you for writing this.

Like in other threads, I'm feeling very close to what you are saying.
Or maybe I'm only afraid of impermanence and all the things I do not understand.

My mother taught me yesterday not to pull too much at the thread when sewing.

When putting two really differing forms together, the thread will otherwise tear.

Both forms contribute to the whole, and two circles of cloth with a pleaded rectangular stripe clash, magically opening the third dimension of a zafu.

Sewing a Sangha, or life, or society, takes even more care, I guess.

Gassho,
Danny

[Daiyo]

I would say simply deepest thanks to all for he work that is done here.
You should be proud (in the good sense) of all of this work.
I've seen nothing but good deeds and intentions here.

Gassho,
Walter.

[Byokan]

L.