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According to Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, there are
2 main stereotypes and prejudices that have divided followers of
the two main forms of Buddhism:
(1) Arahants, and Theravādin
Buddhists, are concerned exclusively with their own salvation as
opposed to the benefit of others; they have a narrow fixation on
personal liberation because they are "fearful of birth and death"
and therefore have little compassion for others and don't undertake
activities intended to benefit them.
(2) Followers of the bodhisattva
ideal, and Mahāyāna Buddhists, are so much involved in social
projects aimed at benefiting others that they don't take up the
practice that the Buddha assigned to his disciples, namely, the
taming of the mind and the development of insight. They have
overwhelmed themselves with social duties and forsaken meditation
practice.
Buddha’s arahant diciples did not
just selfishly reaped the benefits of the path and did nothing for
others. In the suttas, there were many who became great teachers
in their own right who were capable of guiding others towards
liberation. The best known among them
are Sāriputta, Mahākaccāna, Moggāllana, and Ānanda. For 400 years, the Buddhist texts were preserved
orally, transmitted from teachers to pupils, all for the purpose of
preserving the good Dharma and Vinaya in the world.
Although the bodhisattva vows to
work for the welfare of others, their efforts are superficial if
they are not motivated and supported by true bodhicitta. The
ability to give materials and security are worthy but do not equal
in value to the gift of the Dharma. The gift of Dharma leads to
permanent extinction of suffering which requires skills beyond
social service. In addition, the
bodhisattva through the perfections of meditation and wisdom ,
through contemplative practice, also seek out lifestyle similar to
that of one seeking arahantship.
In a nutshell, the lifestyles of the
two are not very different. True
Buddhism needs all three: Buddhas, arahants and
bodhisattvas. It needs Buddhas to
discover and teach the path to liberation; it needs arahants to
follow the path and confirm that the Dharma does indeed lead to
liberation, adorning the teaching with examples of those who lead
the purest holy life; it needs bodhisattvas to bring forth the
resolve to perfect those qualities that will enable them at some
point in the future, near or distant, to become Buddhas themselves
and once again turn the unsurpassed Wheel of the Dharma.
Quote from Ajahn
Chah:
“Don’t be an arahant, don’t be a
bodhisattva, don’t be anything at all—if you are anything at all,
you will suffer.”
