Abstract
The aim of Bodhisattva is to reach Awakening and self-realization. The state of self-realization means feeling pure compassion towards all beings. The purpose of the essay is to look at the different perspectives of Bodhisattva and the true meaning of Sanskrit word. The paper essentially demonstrates the dynamics of the bodhisattva's carrier and the wisdom for the practical life, and how its meaning has evolved over time.
Introduction
Bodhisattva is a Sanskrit word made of two words - “Bodhi” that means enlightenment and “sattva” which means being. Looking back in the early Buddhism, as well as some later traditions in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, , the term bodhisattva was primarily used to refer to the Gautama Siddhartha and his earlier lives. The term bodhisattva has evolved over time, and one finds different stories or Jatakas where common men makes various attempts to achieve bodhisattva and embrace qualities like morality, self-sacrifice and true love for mankind. Traditionally, a bodhisattva is anyone whose wish is to work for the advantage of all beings and is self-motivated by great compassion.
Bodhisattva is a normal person who moves in the direction of Buddha and practices the way of life of the Buddha. The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhism is a valuable addition to the literature. There have Bodhisattva been leading scholars in the field of Buddhist studies who have searched the meaning of Bodhisattva in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Japanese and Chinese. One comes across vast range of philosophical studies on Buddhism in Western languages. Anyone who steers their life in the way of living a life similar to that of a buddha is a bodhisattva.
Bodhisattva displayed in sculptures
There are examples of bodhisattva or enlightened being in sculptures. One good example is the Buddha seated in "Pensive Pose" meditating beneath a Dragon Tree. The sculpture belongs to Northern Qi dynasty and is made in marble. Another good example is an image of a bodhisattva, with a serene face and downcast that is probably a sculpted display in a Buddhist monastery. It might be escorted by figures of monks and devotees. When one explores Buddhist literature and art, there are many examples found on Bodhisattvas. There is a striking theme relating to greatness of the bodhisattvas that is common in the literature, sculptures and popular folklore. Bodhisattvas appear as savior deities with god-like qualities.
Standing bodhisattva holding a lotus bud from Northern Qi dynasty and made in Limestone is another popular example of bodhisattva (Fisher, 1993). It is displayed in Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. and came from the well-known archaeological site, Xiangtangshan. The image of the Buddha is holding an offering of a lotus bud with somewhat introspective expression and in almost rigid dignity. The presence of jewelry is what makes the bodhisattva sculpture different from other image of the Buddha. Bodhisattva means to renounce world wealth, however, the presence of jewelry shows that Buddha returned to the world to show the path of enlightenment to others.
The scholarly contributions on Bodhisattva
The scholarly contributions by Tibetan Buddhism outlines the development of the term and unravel the important facet of the bodhisattva doctrine. There are uncertain conclusions as to how the term was used originally and how did the term get associated with enlightenment. Chinese Buddhism is less philosophical and offers a more integrative picture of the bodhisattva tradition. The literature of Chinese bodhisattva is composed of birth stories and savior bodhisattvas. The stories formed the theoretical stages of spiritual development while one got the concept of a personal deity among the savior bodhisattvas. Japanese religious history examines the bodhisattva doctrine by providing an excellent sketch of nembutsu practitioners in Japan and how they attained enlightenment. When analyzing the major bodhisattva figures in Buddhist literature, scholars find that there is a humane ideal underneath the intricate expressions of Buddhist doctrine (Koseki, 1984). In Indian Buddhism, the bodhisattva concept is valuable for its suggestions that link the development of the concept to historic-cultural aspects and religious art in Indian civilization. Clearly, the bodhisattva doctrine is a multifaceted phenomenon, and one needs a deeper and extensive study to understand the dynamics of the doctrine.
According to the laws of karma, our life and destiny are based on our past karma. The life or consciousness that flows through each of us all connected and thus, one is never really separated from all the things. Rather than living life in meaningless directions, a bodhisattva lives by vow and in certain direction. He is different from other ordinary people as he doesn’t live for himself, constrained by narrow circumstances of the worldly desires. Although a bodhisattva may look the same like any other human being, the significance of his or her life is not the same like everyone else. It's not just enough just to understand the meaning of bodhisattva. It is more important to practice what one learns and change their lives. Bodhisattva has attained the spiritual matureness, and his actions are always selfless and for the good of others.
Still, research has been done if a Bodhisattva is happier that the rest of us. Furthermore, there are different thoughts on if happiness differs according to the sources it stems out from. Whether it comes from the feeling of doing the right thing or by knowingly cultivating the virtues of courage and compassion. “Buddhism naturalized” (Flanagan, 2011) is a new term that has surfaced in place of Bodhisattva that makes an uncompromising stance that might go against tradition of moral cultivation and philosophical inquiry of Bodhisattva. When mapping mental states and brain functions, there is reliability in the view that skilled meditators do carry a stronger positive mental and emotional states that can have lasting effects on biological and psychological makeup.
References
Fisher, R. E. (1993). Buddhist art and architecture. New York: Thames and Hudson.
Flanagan, O. J. (2011). The bodhisattva's brain: Buddhism naturalized. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Koseki, A. K. (1984). The bodhisattva doctrine in buddhism University of Hawai'i Press.
