When Diana Reynolds Roome brought home a thangka of Manjushri from Nepal she wondered, "How could I bring this great bodhisattva into my humdrum existence?" On my last trip to Nepal, I purchased a thangka of the great bodhisattva Manjushri in a tiny shop on the eastern edge of Kathmandu. I carried the sacred artwork through a series of airports on a two-day journey home to [...]
The Burning Heart of a Bodhisattva
On the 55th anniversary of Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation, Edward Tick shares what he has learned from his pilgrimages to the site of the monk's famous protest. Fifty-five years ago, on June 11, 1963, in a heavily trafficked intersection in downtown Sai Gon, the 67-year-old Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc self-immolated. Thich means “most revered” — a title given only [...]
Awakening the Bodhisattva
Venerable Pannavati, Anne Klein, and Ejo McMullen on the possibilities and challenges of the bodhisattva path. Introduction by Taigen Dan Leighton. Bodhisattvas are beings dedicated to helping relieve suffering for all, realizing universal awakening, and leading all beings to that same awakening. Such practice cannot be merely about self-help or personal salvation. [...]
I Vow Not to Burn Out
Mushim Ikeda says it's not enough to help others. You have to take care of yourself too. At the end of January, one of my close spiritual friends died. A queer Black man, a Sufi imam “scholartivist” (scholar–artist–activist) and professor of ministry students, Baba Ibrahim Farajajé died of a massive heart attack. He was sixty-three, and I’m guessing he had been carrying [...]
How can a Buddhist strive to “save all beings” without inflating their ego?
Question: How can one “take on the suffering of the world” or practice “for the sake of all beings” without also inflating their own sense of self-importance? As profound as these practices are, they also seem like fodder for the ego. Rebecca Li: As an antidote to the pernicious arrogance that gives rise to thoughts like “I’m doing something so selfless—aren’t I great?” we [...]
You’re Ready Enough
Wherever you find yourself, says Pema Khandro, that’s the starting point of the bodhisattva path—all you need to do is take that first step. Once upon a time, many aeons before he took birth as a prince, Shakyamuni was an ordinary being born into a hot hell realm, where he was forced to pull a chariot through the fires. Distressed over the struggles of his feeble [...]
Making the Warrior Commitment
We've all got the potential to awaken and help others in meaningful ways, big and small. Pema Chödrön shows us how we can let go of self-centered worries and become a bodhisattva-warrior. It's the greatest happiness of all. Compassion is threatening to the ego. We might think of it as something warm and soothing, but actually it’s very raw. When we set out to support other [...]
How to Be a Bodhisattva
It may seem like an unattainable ideal, but you can start right now as a bodhisattva-in-training. All you need is the aspiration to put others first and some inspiration from helpful guides like the Buddhist teachers found here. Everyone Is Your Guest Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche on your life as a future bodhisattva Many Mahayana scriptures speak of inviting all sentient [...]
Sisyphus, the Bodhisattva
Following Albert Camus' lead, Radhule Weininger reconsiders the mythical sufferer as a joyful model for us all. In these unpredictable and possibly perilous times, many of us experience feelings of heightened anxiety, fear, and even dread. When I contemplate the committed people I know working for the well-being of the planet, for healthcare, the environment, and [...]
Pema Chödrön on Waking Up — and Benefiting Others
Pema Chödrön offers her unique perspective on The Way of the Bodhisattva, Shantideva’s classic description of the Mahayana path. Here she addresses one of the most important of all spiritual questions—how to free ourselves from the powerful spell of the emotional afflictions. Rousing the bodhi heart means connecting with our longing for enlightenment, with the clear desire [...]
