The heart of the bodhisattva

These attributes are recognised in Theravada Buddhism, which has prospered throughout Suvarnabhumi, the area encompassing Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and now revived in India, its birthplace. 

In Theravada belief, someone who becomes enlightened as a Buddha – an awakened one – must have developed these qualities over several lifetimes, during which he is known as a bodhisattva. His goal is enlightenment, and his achieving it will have been predicted by any of the previous Buddhas. 

Each of the 10 attributes is developed on three levels – primary, middle and high, otherwise called ordinary, medium and ultimate. Dana (generosity), for example, evolves through danaparam I, danaupaparam I and danparamatthaparam I.

Danaparam I might involve giving away money or food and danaupaparam I the donation of organs, blood or, after death, your body. Danaparamatthaparam I is the ultimate – giving up one’s life so that others can survive.

In each former life of the Lord Buddha as a bodhisattva, he developed these attributes. In certain lives he dedicated his own life for the survival of others. In one of those former lives the Buddha was born an ape-king. Here is a story from the Jataka.

Trekking through the jungle to the realm of the apes, the king of the humans and his army were bathing in a stream when a mango floated to them. The king was astounded by the taste and sent his men to find the tree. When the troops arrived, the frightened apes tried to escape but were surrounded. The soldiers killed more than half of them with their bows and arrows, until the ape king stepped in to protect those remaining. 

With his great physical strength he jumped onto a vine and swung across the creek, intending to fasten one end to a secure branch so his subjects could use it to escape. But the vine was a metre short, so the king used his own body to bridge the gap, clinging to the branch with one leg. He summoned his followers and they crawled across the vine, scrambling over his body.

The human king witnessed the great sacrifice of his simian counterpart and was deeply moved. “Even I, as a king, lack such leadership. This ape-king is a greater leader,” he realised, and ordered his men to stop killing the apes.

When we pray each morning and evening, we must comprehend the meaning of the words and know the right way to practice. We are all on the path of the bodhisattva. We need not pursue all 10 attributes – dana alone brings tremendous merit.

Dana ultimately eradicates selfishness, and even in the meantime uplifts the quality of life. Giving without concern for oneself is high-level danaparam I, while giving without expecting anything in return is comparable to kalamet, the aromatic plant that’s considered auspicious. 

A sage noted that the kalamet with its large, spreading branches gives shelter to birds, humans and smaller mammals. Even if someone in a fury chops it with an axe, the kalamet responds by emitting its sweet aroma from the wounds. This is the character of the bodhisattva.

One guru gave a simple definition of the bodhisattva: one who is in the habit of never standing still because of his tremendous compassion for others who are suffering. He must go to their aid. 

Anyone can be a bodhisattva in this life if they have the spirit of a bodhisattva. When you see others suffer, you cannot remain passive. You have to help in keeping with your own potential. 

 

This column by prominent Buddhist preacher Phramaha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi, better known by his pen name V Vajiramedhi, appears on the first Sunday of every month.