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 THE
BODHISATTVA VOW
In
general, there are two aspects to the Bodhisattva Vow. The
first aspect is the wish, the intention, or aspiration of
a bodhisattva. The second is the application of that intention
or wish. The Application of the wish means to actualize,
or to put the wish into action. The Bodhisattva Vow should
be taken after the Refuge Vow.
- The Aspiration
of the Bodhisattva Vow
First
comes the aspect of the wish or aspiration. This means that
we set our minds upon a goal, towards a target. What is
this? It is all the beings that occupy space in a whole
variety of forms of existences in all the worlds and planets.
What characterizes a living being? It is that the living
being has a mind. Its mode of existence is characterized
by suffering due to the fact that the mind is deeply rooted
in fundamental ignorance. A mind marked by fundamental ignorance
produces nothing but disturbing emotions. Under such influences,
inevitably we will act and accumulate karma. The karmic
seeds when ripened produce suffering. It is this suffering
that underlies and produces the various types of existences.
The process generates itself life after life and forms a
cycle of existences. By being concerned with all beings,
their conditions of existence and their suffering, we will
develop authentic compassion.
- Developing
the Wish to Liberate All Beings
Keeping
in mind the suffering that all beings experience, we need
to develop a certain attitude. This mental attitude is a
profound wish that we must honestly develop. The wish is
for all beings to be completely and permanently liberated
from suffering. Faced with this suffering of beings, one
encourages oneself to develop the state of mind known as
bodhicitta. In order to realize this wish, i.e. to relieve
beings of suffering in a definite way, one has to work on
oneself and be liberated from one’s own suffering and
confusion. Then afterwards, one can acquire the true capacity
to help others and to liberate them. This capacity is a
complete and perfect awakening; it is the state of Buddhahood.
It is a real capacity to benefit others in a spontaneous
way. In order to achieve this awakened mind, one needs to
have firmly created the cause for it.
The
development of bodhicitta, or the enlightened aspiration,
is the cause of awakening. The development of this aspiration
forms a seed in the mind that will ripen as enlightenment.
To formalize our commitment, we take the Bodhisattva Vow.
Having taking the Vow, we carry on by reinforcing this attitude
of mind, and we continue our spiritual development. From
life to life, we become increasingly capable of achieving
the benefit of others. Eventually, we will realize the ultimate
fruit that is the complete and perfect awakening, the state
of Buddhahood. We will then benefit beings spontaneously,
no longer in a conceptual manner, but in a completely spontaneous
way without any obstacles. Just as the sun shines in the
sky and illuminates everything, the activity of the Buddha
will naturally benefit others. It is what is called the
fruit of awakening, a complete and perfect awakening acquired
by developing bodhicitta.
These are therefore the
two points of view, the two reference points on the path
to enlightenment: the fruit itself, and the seed or cause
that produces the fruit. The fruit is the genuine capacity
to benefit others. Its cause is the development of bodhicitta,
the development of the enlightened attitude, formalized
by the Bodhisattva Vow.
We
have talked about the fruit of awakening. It is important
to really understand what this fruit is and what it means
to be awakened. A Buddha has the capacity to accomplish
the benefit of others in a spontaneous and limitless way.
We need to understand what that means.
A Buddha benefits others
spontaneously through four levels of activity that correspond
to four types of beings. Spontaneously, a Buddha’s
activity enables beings that are completely imprisoned in
samsara and its suffering - the first type - to have the
opportunity to become liberated. This is especially the
case for beings trapped in the suffering of the lower realms.
A Buddha has the capacity to bring them to a rebirth in
which they can experience relative happiness.
The second and third levels of
activity concerns the beings that are already on the Path
of spiritual practice, the arhats and the PratyekaBuddhas.
(They are on the Path but their levels of realization are
still not total enlightenment.) In this case a Buddha’s
activity takes the form of encouragement and support so
that they can completely free themselves from samsara.
Take for example the arhats.
Their practice will yield the realization of the Smaller
Vehicle (Hinayana); the Buddhas can help them attain full
enlightenment. The arhats are those who have already established
an inner peace of mind. They reside completely in this peaceful
state. This achievement of inner peace is the fruit of the
path of individual liberation, the awakened state
of an arhat. The Buddha’s activity can influence an
arhat to advance towards full awakening rather than to remain
in this state. The activity of a Buddha can effectively
shake an arhat out of the state of serenity and peace
of his samadhi or meditative absorption. The Buddhas exhort
the arhats to continue along their paths towards full awakening.
The same applies to the PratyekaBuddhas.
A Buddha's activity also benefits
a fourth type of beings. They are practitioners who are
on the higher levels of the Bodhisattva Path, that is, the
eighth or the ninth level. These Bodhisattvas are encouraged
and helped by the activity of a Buddha to continue their
efforts, to persevere, until they realize by themselves
the full awakening.
Thus, we can see how vast this
awakened activity of a Buddha is. Its sphere simultaneously
encompasses beings who are completely caught in samsara,
beings who are already on the Path of practice as well as
beings who have already attained various levels of the Path.
In short, this activity benefits all types of beings, on
all levels of the Path. So it is important that we understand
the initial cause that precipitates this spontaneous and
boundless activity:it is this promise, this commitment,
and this oath to practice in order to help and to benefit
others. The Bodhisattva Vow enables us to have this spontaneous,
limitless result.
- Putting
the Enlightened Aspiration into action
To
actualize this enlightened aspiration and wish, we have
to engage ourselves in the practice of the six paramitas,
the six enlightened qualities. They are: generosity, ethics,
patience, enthusiastic effort, meditation, and non-discriminating
wisdom. A Buddha is someone who has brought these six qualities
to full perfection and maturity. By practicing these qualities,
complete awakening can be realized. The Buddhas have practiced
and actualized these qualities, they perfected them and
thus achieved enlightenment. They have gone through numerous
existences rooted in their wish to truly help others. As
a result, their enlightened qualities have blossomed. We
should follow their example and as we take the Bodhisattva
Vow, we should think: "Just as the Buddhas of the past,
the present and the future adopt the Path of practicing
the six enlightened qualities, the six paramitas, I too
will follow this Path."
- The Discipline
of the Bodhisattva Vow
We
can activate and carry out the Bodhisattva Vow in the context
of three types of discipline. Firstly, we reduce our negative
actions that cause suffering. Secondly, we accumulate positive
actions that generate positive results for ourselves and
for others. And thirdly, we behave and act to benefit others.
In order to maintain and to carry
out the Bodhisattva Vow, we have to train ourselves. The
methods are clearly explained in Gampopa’s 'Jewel Ornament
of Liberation.' If we fully train in these methods, we will
build a powerful base for the development of virtues and
everything that is positive. The development itself is automatic
when the Vow is not broken. Even when we sleep and even
when the mind is not attentive, these positive benefits
continue to develop. This is why it is said that the Bodhisattva
Vow is like a fertile ground for the development of virtue.
The
14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche
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