Bodhicitta Etymology[edit] Etymologically, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit words bodhi and citta. Bodhi means "awakening" or "enlightenment". Citta derives from the Sanskrit root cit, and means "that which is conscious" (i.e., mind or consciousness). Bodhicitta may be translated as "awakening mind" or "mind of enlightenment". Spontaneity[edit] Bodhicitta is a spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment motivated by great compassion for all sentient beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently existing self. The mind of great compassion and bodhicitta motivates one to attain enlightenment Buddhahood, as quickly as possible and benefit infinite sentient beings through their emanations and other skillful means. A person who has a spontaneous realization or motivation of bodhicitta is called a bodhisattva. Levels[edit] Different schools may demonstrate alternative understandings of bodhicitta. The first The second The third Origins and development[edit]
Noble Eightfold Path Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara The eight spoke Dharma wheel symbolizes the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'; alternatively, equanimous meditative awareness). In Buddhist symbolism, the Noble Eightfold Path is often represented by means of the dharma wheel (dharmachakra), in which its eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path. Etymology and nomenclature[edit] The Pali term ariya aṭṭhaṅgika magga (Sanskrit: āryāṣṭāṅgamārga) is typically translated in English as "Noble Eightfold Path". All eight elements of the Path begin with the word samyañc (in Sanskrit) or sammā (in Pāli) which means "right, proper, as it ought to be, best".[19] The Buddhist texts contrast samma with its opposite miccha.[19] The eight divisions[edit] Origins: the Middle Way[edit] Tenfold path[edit]
en.wikipedia Wikipedia list article In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva ( Tibetan: སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མཚན་གཤམ་གསལ།, Chinese: 菩薩; pinyin: púsà; Japanese pronunciation: bosatsu; Korean pronunciation: bosal) is a being who is dedicated to achieving complete Buddhahood. Conventionally, the term is applied to beings with a high degree of enlightenment. Bodhisattva literally means a "bodhi (enlightenment) being" in Pali. Mahayana practitioners have historically lived in many other countries that are now predominantly Hindu, Muslim or Theravada Buddhist; remnants of reverence for bodhisattvas has continued in some of these regions. The following is a non-exhaustive list of bodhisattvas primarily respected in Indian, Tibetan Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism. Primary Bodhisattvas[edit] Ākāśagarbha Avalokiteśvara (Padmapani) (Chinese: 觀音; pinyin: Guanyin; Japanese pronunciation: Kannon; Korean: 관음; Vietnamese: Quán Thế Âm, Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་, THL: Chenrézik) Kṣitigarbha Mahāsthāmaprāpta Mañjuśrī
What Is a Bodhisattva? A bodhisattva is an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of Buddha. You and I, actually, anyone who directs their attention, their life, to practicing the way of life of a Buddha is a bodhisattva. Most people live by their desires or karma. That’s what the expression “gossho no bompu” means. Gossho are the obstructions to practicing the Way caused by our evil actions in the past. Bompu simply means ordinary human being–that is, one who lives by karma. The life that flows through each of us and through everything around us is actually all connected. In other words, it is the motivation for living that is different for a bodhisattva. It’s not enough for a bodhisattva of the Mahayana to just uphold the precepts. It’s not enough just to know the definition of bodhisattva. Regarding the question “What is a bodhisattva?”
Amitābha Portrait of Buddha Amitābha attached in Annotation to the Infinite Life Sutra (Ch. 佛說大乘無量壽莊嚴清淨平等覺經科註) Statue of the Buddha Amitābha (Mongolia, 18th century) Amitābha[2] (Sanskrit: अमिताभ, Amitābha (wordstem), Sanskrit pronunciation: [əmɪˈt̪aːbʱə]) is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. Doctrine[edit] According to the Larger Sūtra of Immeasurable Life, Amitābha was, in very ancient times and possibly in another system of worlds, a monk named Dharmakāra. In the versions of the sutra widely known in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, Dharmakāra's eighteenth vow was that any being in any universe desiring to be born into Amitābha's Pure Land and calling upon his name even as few as ten times will be guaranteed rebirth there. The sutra goes on to explain that Amitābha, after accumulating great merit over countless lives, finally achieved buddhahood and is still residing in his land of Sukhāvatī, whose many virtues and joys are described. Notes[edit]
Skandha Skandhas (Sanskrit) or khandhas (Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings".[1] In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging (Pancha-upadanakkhanda), the five bodily and mental factors that take part in the rise of craving and clinging. They are also explained as the five factors that constitute and explain a sentient being’s person and personality,[2][4] but this is a later interpretation in response to sarvastivadin essentialism. The five aggregates or heaps are: form (or matter or body) (rupa), sensations (or feelings, received from form) (vedana), perceptions (samjna), mental activity or formations (sankhara), and consciousness (vijnana).[5][6][7] Etymology[edit] Skandha (स्कन्ध) is a Sanskrit word that means "multitude, quantity, aggregate", generally in the context of body, trunk, stem, empirically observed gross object or anything of bulk verifiable with senses.[1][8] The term appears in the Vedic literature. Description of the five skandhas[edit] Mahayana
blog.buddhagroove The Buddha is a unique spiritual leader in the history of mankind. Where others preached dogma or worked for a particular land or race of people, the Buddha’s compassion extended to all beings. Gods, rituals and the afterlife were not part of his philosophy; rather, his teachings were concerned with the here and now – a prescription for living by a code of ethics that would alleviate misery and ultimately lead to self-enlightenment. A Bodhisattva is a Buddha-in-the-making, one who puts off attainment of nirvana in order to allay the suffering of his fellow beings. This popular parable captures the essence of a Bodhisattva: Three travelers in the desert were in desperate search of water. Avalokitesvara Visit a Tibetan Buddhist temple and you cannot help being drawn to the expression of glowing serenity on the face of Avalokitesvara. In Buddhist art, the gentle Avalokitesvara assumes male or female form. Avalokitesvara is associated with the widely practiced mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum”.
Vedanta Vedanta (/vɪˈdɑːntə/; Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋeːd̪aːn̪t̪], Devanagari: वेदान्त, Vedānta) is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. The term literally translates to "the end of Veda" or "the conclusion of Veda," and originally referred to the Upanishads, a collection of foundational texts in Hinduism (considered the last appendix or final layer of the Vedic canon). By the 8th century,[citation needed] it came to mean all philosophical traditions concerned with interpreting the three basic texts of Hinduist philosophy, namely the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, and was eventually recognized as distinct from the other five astika schools. Vedanta is the most prominent and philosophically advanced of the orthodox schools and the term Vedanta may also be used to refer to Indian philosophy more generall. There are at least ten schools of Vedanta, of which Advaita Vedanta, Vishishtadvaita, and Dvaita are the best known.[3] Etymology[edit] History[edit]
Jiriki Jiriki (自力?, one's own strength[1]) - here: the Japanese Buddhist term for self power, the ability to achieve liberation or enlightenment (in other words, to reach nirvana) through one's own efforts. Jiriki and tariki (他力 meaning "other power", "outside help") are two terms in Japanese Buddhist schools that classify how one becomes spiritually enlightened.[2] Jiriki is very much urged and practiced in Zen Buddhism. In Pure Land Buddhism, tariki often refers to the power of Amitābha Buddha.[3] These two terms describe the strands of practice that followers of every religion throughout the world develop. Jiriki is experiencing truth for oneself and not merely accepting the testimony of another. However, the two ways are not to be seen as mutually exclusive, or jiriki seen as "better" than tariki. References[edit] Further reading[edit] Ford, James L. (2002).
Five Tathagatas Cloth with painting of the Buddhas In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Tathāgatas (pañcatathāgata) or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas (Chinese: 五智如来; pinyin: Wǔzhì Rúlái), the Five Great Buddhas and the Five Jinas (Sanskrit for "conqueror" or "victor"), are emanations and representations of the five qualities of the Adi-Buddha or "first Buddha" Vairocana or Vajradhara, which is associated with the Dharmakāya.[1] They are also sometimes called the "dhyani-buddhas", a term first recorded in English by Brian Houghton Hodgson, a British Resident in Nepal,[2] in the early 19th century, and is unattested in any surviving traditional primary sources.[3] These five Buddhas are a common subject of Vajrayana mandalas. These five Buddhas feature prominently in various Buddhist Tantras and are the primary object of realization and meditation in Shingon Buddhism, a school of Vajarayana Buddhism founded in Japan by Kūkai. Origin[edit] Qualities[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] Bibliography[edit] External links[edit]
en.wikipedia Popular Sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, lit. 'Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma') is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras, and the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established. Title[edit] Lotus Sutra title inscription (daimoku) Translations of this title into the languages of some of these countries include: Chinese: 妙法蓮華經; pinyin: Miàofǎ Liánhuá jīng (shortened to 法華經; Fǎhuá jīng).Japanese: 妙法蓮華経, romanized: Myōhō Renge Kyō (short: 法華経, Ho(k)ke-kyō).Korean: 묘법연화경; RR: Myobeop Yeonhwa gyeong (short: 법화경; Beophwa gyeong).Tibetan: དམ་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོའི་མདོ, Wylie: dam chos padma dkar po'i mdo, THL: Damchö Pema Karpo'i do.Vietnamese: Diệu pháp Liên hoa kinh (short: Pháp hoa kinh). Nichiren (1222-1282) regarded the title as the summary of the Lotus Sutra´s teachings. Textual history[edit] Formation[edit] According to Stephen F. Chapters 2–9 form the earliest stratum.
Bodhisattva | Buddhist ideal Related Topics: buddha bodhisattva, (Sanskrit), Pali bodhisatta (“one whose goal is awakening”), in Buddhism, one who seeks awakening (bodhi)—hence, an individual on the path to becoming a buddha. In early Indian Buddhism and in some later traditions—including Theravada, at present the major form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and other parts of Southeast Asia—the term bodhisattva was used primarily to refer to the Buddha Shakyamuni (as Gautama Siddhartha is known) in his former lives. The stories of his lives, the Jatakas, portray the efforts of the bodhisattva to cultivate the qualities, including morality, self-sacrifice, and wisdom, which will define him as a buddha. Later, and especially in the Mahayana tradition—the major form of Buddhism in Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan—it was thought that anyone who made the aspiration to awakening (bodhicittotpada)—vowing, often in a communal ritual context, to become a buddha—is therefore a bodhisattva. Read More on This Topic Jonathan A.