How to be a Bodhisattva

Buddha statue from Ghandara (Pakistan), 1st-2nd century CE.
Source: japanesemythology.wordpress.com

Defining Bodhisattva

Loosely put, Bodhisattvas can be described as Buddhist Deities, or if one comes from a Christian background one might understand them to be like Saints. Bodhisattvas are particularly important within the Mahayana tradition and practitioners are encouraged to aspire to become Bodhisattvas themselves. The history of the Bodhisattva concept is described thus:

“The term ‘bodhisattva’ appears first as the title the Buddha used to refer to himself before he realised nirvana. The Jataka Tales, popular scriptures of Theravada Buddhism, extend the concept of bodhisattva to include previous lives of the Buddha before he was born as Siddhattha Gotama [Skt. Siddhartha Gautama] … Already on the path to Buddhahood, the bodhisatta (Skt. Bodhisattva) in these stories exhibits many of the qualities of a Buddha, most notably a selfless desire to serve others regardless of the consequences for himself … Mahayana Buddhism … seized upon the concept of the bodhisattva as one of its most important spiritual ideals. Followers of Mahayana Buddhism are expected to take and repeatedly reiterate the ‘bodhisattva vow’, a promise to dedicate one’s life to the welfare of other beings and to forgo final realisation of nirvana until all beings have been led to release. In essence, the bodhisattva vow replaces nirvana, the supreme goal of Theravada Buddhism, with the supreme goal of Mahayana Buddhism: Buddhahood [Reat, Buddhism: A History at 50-51].”

Another way of describing a Bodhisattva (from a Nichiren Buddhist perspective) is:

“After the rise of Mahayana, bodhisattva came to mean anyone who aspires to enlightenment and carries out altruistic practice. Mahayana practitioners used it to refer to themselves, thus expressing the conviction that they would one day attain Buddhahood … Mahayana sets forth the ideal of the bodhisattva who seeks enlightenment both for self and others, even postponing one’s entry into nirvana in order to lead others to that goal. The predominant characteristic of a bodhisattva is therefore compassion [The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism].”

A Zen description of the Bodhisattva life state is as follows:

“We use the term Nirmanakaya (transformation body) to describe the bright side of mind/body. In this body and mind there is no longer ignorance ... or wrong consciousness. The function of this body and mind is to awaken and liberate living beings. Love and compassion can manifest in hundreds of thousands of forms ... A bodhisattva can be beautiful or ugly, poor or rich, healthy or sick. Any mind/body that has the function to bring about love, understanding and happiness is the transformation body of the Buddha [Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's teachings at 242].”

And from a Vajrayana (Tibetan) perspective:

“Bodhisattva literally means ‘pure enlightened attitude.’ In general this term is applied to anyone who has taken the vow to relinquish their personal enlightenment in order to work for the benefit of all other sentient beings. More specifically, it designates a special class of beings who have not only taken the above vow but who also have attained a significant degree of realisation on the path [Lama Lodo, Bardo Teachings at 67].”

The Bodhisattva Precepts

In Mahayana Buddhism, particularly within the lineages most popular in Japan (such as Zen and Nichiren Buddhism) the Lotus Sutra is a core Buddhist teaching, expounding the importance of the Bodhisattva aspiration. Within the Lotus Sutra the following is said:

“Because deep in their minds they think of the Buddha

and practice and uphold the pure precepts,

they are assured they will attain Buddhahood ...

If there are living beings

who have encountered ... Buddhas,

and if they have listened to the Law, presented alms,

or kept the precepts, shown forbearance,

been assiduous, practiced meditation and wisdom ...

cultivating various kinds of merit and virtue,

then persons such as these

all have attained the Buddha way.”

Three comprehensive precepts for Bodhisattvas 
This passage makes it clear that adhering to the "pure precepts" is one of the things we should do if we want to attain the "Buddha way", but what are the "pure precepts"? It seems they are not the traditional Nikaya precepts for lay-Buddhists* or monastics, but may instead be the embodiment of a philosophy by which to live, as opposed to a series of rules to diligently follow. They have their origin in verse 183 of the Dhammapada, which is one of the oldest Buddhist texts extant, being originally written down at some point BCE. It has been translated as follows:

“To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas [accesstoinsight.org].”

A contemporary Zen summation of the three pure precepts is:**

1. Refrain from causing harm to oneself and to others;
2. Act with loving kindness and compassion; 
3. Embrace all beings: purify your mind so that you can truly benefit yourself and others.

A Nichiren summation of the same precepts, which are translated into English as the three comprehensive concepts, is (sourced from sgilibrary.org):

1. Prevent evil:
2. Strive to perform good deeds; and
3. Benefit all living beings.

This approach is not about inflexible rules that must be uniformly applied in all contexts. Rather it is a fluid philosophy. The principles of avoiding harm and embracing virtue means that we might measure up every action, recognising the complex contexts within which actions sit. Is removing lice from the head of a child unwholesome when the child cannot return to school until the lice is gone? What about the itchy cat riddled with fleas? What about killing intestinal parasites that degrade our health? The emphasis of the three precepts allows for some weighing up here; when it comes to insects there are competing harms (the suffering of insects vs. the suffering experienced as a result of allowing our health and happiness to be harmed by insects) and virtues (the wellbeing of insects vs. the well being of humans and animals).

There is a risk of becoming an unthinking slave to doctrine and rules when one says that, without exception, no being should be killed (but what of euthanasia?), or one should never lie - ever, at all, even if lying would be demonstrably more compassionate than telling the truth, or one should never steal, in any circumstances, even in times of famine when one has children to feed. If we are able to admit exceptions to the more well known "five precepts" (or the longer eight, ten, 227 or 311 precepts) of Nikaya Buddhism we must inevitably acknowledge that they are best regarded as guidelines, not didactic commandments. The appeal of the three precepts is that they are flexible enough to be rationally applied to an unlimited number of situations, while being clear and succinct. Their very general nature liberates us from the risk of falling victim to obsessing over petty theological concerns and does not necessarily invite us to abandon every other Buddhist precept, but rather to understand that the most important of the precepts are the three which advise us to avoid harm, do good and get our mind together so that we can act in the best interests of all sentient beings.

Ten major precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra*** 
Another approach to the Mahayana precepts is to seek inspiration from the Brahma Net Sutra, also known as the Bodhisattva Precepts Sutra. Within the sutra there are ten major precepts and then a further 48 precepts. The ten major precepts are as follows:

1. One should not kill, incite others to kill, kill by contrivance, kill by incantation, or praise killing or rejoice upon seeing killing. One should not purposely take any sentient being’s life. A Bodhisattva should nurture the mind of compassion and seek to protect all sentient beings.
2. One should not steal, incite others to steal, steal by contrivance, steal by incantation, or praise stealing or rejoice upon seeing stealing. One should not steal anything, even what is owned by thieves or spirits, or a needle or a blade of grass. A Bodhisattva should nurture the mind of compassion for all sentient beings.
3. One should not (if one is a monastic) have sex or incite others to have sex; if one is a lay-Buddhist one should live chastely. A Bodhisattva should encourage all sentient beings to avoid promiscuity and embrace chastity.
4. One should not lie, incite others to lie, or lie by contrivance. One should not lie with one’s body, voice, or mind, saying that one saw something that one did not see, or that one did not see something that one saw. A Bodhisattva should hold the right views and use right speech, and should inspire all sentient beings to hold the right views and use right speech.
5. One should not sell alcohol or incite others to sell alcohol. One should not sell any kind of alcohol because it can cause one to break the other precepts. A Bodhisattva should help sentient beings to achieve clear-headed wisdom.
6. One should not talk about or incite others to talk about the faults of any monastic or lay-Buddhist. A Bodhisattva compassionately encourages others to develop wholesome faith in the Mahayana.
7. One should not praise oneself and disparage others, or incite others to do so. A Bodhisattva should prevent others from enduring slander.
8. One should not be stingy or incite others to be stingy. A Bodhisattva should give to the destitute what they need when they come seeking help.
9. One should not become angered or incite others to anger. A Bodhisattva should, out of loving-kindness and compassion, provide non-disputative ways to develop sentient beings’ roots of goodness.
10. One should not malign, or incite or encourage others to malign, the Three Jewels / Triple Gem (the Buddha, the teachings and the Buddhist community).

The 48 precepts include abstinence from drinking alcohol and eating meat, garlic, chives, leeks or onions, as well as a host of other things. They appear most definitely to be intended for monastics and not lay-Buddhists. The translations I have looked at also suggest the sutra was written specifically for men.

Looking to the Brahma Net precepts as virtuous aspirations may help to guide us to a better way of living, though adhering to them as if they are some sort of legalistic code which invites uniformly strict adherence would perhaps be unwise, for it seems unlikely that strict adherent to precepts should be regarded as an end goal in themselves. There are so many different ways to embrace others with love, understanding and happiness (ie, to engage in Bodhisattva action, which is the end goal), and some of them may well be quite unconventional.

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* One reason we can deduce that the "pure precepts" are not the same as the traditional Nikaya precepts (ie, the Theravada precepts) is because elsewhere in the Lotus Sutra the making of Buddhist music is praised, whereas the traditional eight precepts for Nikaya / Theravada lay-Buddhists to observe on designated holy days (generally these occur a few times a month) specifically advocate the avoidance of music. The eight precepts are:

1. Abandon destruction of life – be merciful and compassionate towards all living beings.
2. Abandon taking that which is not given – dwell with an honest heart devoid of theft.
3. Abandon sexual relations and observe celibacy.
4. Abandon false speech – speak the truth, be trustworthy, reliable and not deceptive.
5. Abandon the use of drugs which cause negligence, deluded thoughts and/or indolence.
6. Abandon food after noon – eat only one meal a day.
7. Abandon dancing, singing, music, self-adornment, cosmetics and perfume.
8. Abandon the use of high and luxurious beds and seats.

Traditionally for the Theravada, monks and nuns must also avoid music (see the ten precepts for novice monks and nuns; 227 precepts for ordained monks and 311 precepts for ordained nuns). Note that, traditionally, on non-holy days lay-Buddhists are entreated to abide by the five precepts which are the first five precepts of the eight above with the exception that sexual relations are permitted, while "sexual misconduct" (promiscuity, etc) is not.

** See eg, San Francisco Zen Center; Bright Way Zen; Zen Mountain Monastery; Boundless Way Zen; Chapel Hill Zen Centre; Nebraska Zen Centre.

*** Sources for the Brahma Net Sutra include: sutrasmantras.info; ymba.org; buddhistdoor.com.

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Written by M' Sentia Figula (aka Freki), find me at neo polytheist and romanpagan.wordpress.com