Enlightenment Beings of Mahayana
Buddhism
By Barbara
O'Brien
Buddhism calls itself a "non-theistic"
religion. The historical Buddha taught that believing in and
worshipping gods was not useful for those seeking to realize
enlightenment. Many Buddhists consider themselves to be
atheists.
Yet Buddhist art and literature are richly
stocked with godlike beings. This is especially true of Mahayana
Buddhism. Mahayana temples are populated by statues and paintings
of many characters and creatures, some beautiful, some
demonic.
Enlightenment
Beings
After buddhas, the most important beings in
Mahayana iconography are
bodhisattvas.
The word bodhisattva means "enlightenment being." Very
simply, bodhisattvas are beings who work for the enlightenment of
all beings, not just themselves. They vow not to enter Nirvana
until all beings enter Nirvana together.
The bodhisattva is the ideal of all
Mahayana Buddhists. The bodhisattva's path is for all of us, not
just the beings in the statues and pictures. Mahayana Buddhists
take
Bodhisattva
Vows to save
all beings. These are the Four Vows of the Zen
school:
Beings are
numberless;
I vow to free them.
Delusions are inexhaustible;
I vow to end
them.
Dharma gates are boundless;
I vow to enter them.
The Awakened Way is unsurpassable;
I vow to embody it.
Transcendent
Bodhisattvas
The bodhisattvas found in art and
literatures are sometimes called transcendent bodhisattvas. They
are beings who have realized enlightenment but who remain active in
the world, appearing in many forms to help others and lead them to
enlightenment. They are venerated and called upon for help in time
of need.
Doesn't that make them something like
gods? Maybe. Maybe not.
It depends.
The bodhisattvas of literature and art can
be thought of as allegorical representations of the activity of
enlightenment in the world. In Buddhist tantra practice, the
bodhisattvas are archetypes of perfect practice to be emulated and,
eventually, to become. For example, one might meditate on
the image of the Bodhisattva of Compassion in order to become a
vehicle for compassion in the world.
So, you might be thinking, you're saying
they aren't real? No, that's not what I'm saying.
What's "Real"?
From a Buddhist perspective, most people
confuse "identity" with "reality." But in Buddhism, and Mahayana
Buddhism in particular, nothing has intrinsic identity. We
"exist" as distinct beings only in relation to other beings. This
is not to say that we don't exist, but that our existence as
individuals is conditional and relative.
If our identities as individual beings is,
in a sense, illusory, does that mean we're not "real"?
What's "real"?
Bodhisatvas manifest where they are needed
in many forms. They might be bums or babies, friends or strangers,
teachers, firemen or used car salesmen. They might be you. Whenever
needed help is given without selfish attachment, there is the hand
of the bodhisattva. When we see and hear the suffering of others
and respond to that suffering, we are the hands of the
bodhisattva.
Seems "real" to me.
Understanding Will
Vary
It's true that transcendent bodhisattvas
are sometimes spoken of and thought of as distinctive supernatural
beings. There are Buddhists who worship and pray to buddhas and
bodhisattvas as one would to gods.
In Buddhism, all beliefs and
conceptualizations are provisional. That is, they are understood to
be flawed and imperfect. People understand the dharma as best they
can, and as understanding grows, conceptualizations are
discarded.
We're all works in progress. Some Buddhists
go through a process of believing in buddhas and bodhisattvas as
something like gods, and some do not.