One of the requests I hear a lot is: "Please explain what a
Bodhisattva is."
Now, I have moved in
Buddhist circles for many years, so perhaps have a strange view of the world.
It would seem to me that "
Bodhisattva" is one of those words that has well and truly made the progression into
common English usage, but I think I am quite wrong. Just a casual survey of friends and acquaintances results in puzzled looks. No-one, it seems, knows what the hell a
Bodhisattva is.
My common understanding is that a
Bodhisattva is a perfect,
enlightened being who has renounced the benefits of nirvana and chosen to be re-born into the world in order to continue to help and enlighten human beings. It is the
Bodhisattvas who so enliven the
Mahayana Buddhist pantheon, and whose
statues so clutter up the
average Buddhist temple.
The most famous
Bodhisattva is of course
Kwan Yin, the
Bodhisattva of Compassion.
She is almost universally revered throughout
East Asia, and her
statue can be seen everywhere.
Indeed, the popularity of her
cult often seems to eclipse the
supreme status of the Buddhas themselves.
Other commonly seen
Bodhisattvas include
Jizo (the Lord of the Underworld), Zhuan Di (the
multi-armed manifestation of Kwan Yin) and
Manjusri, the
Bodhisattva of Wisdom.
While the
Buddhas might serve as exemplars of behaviour, in general it is seen as poor form to ask them directly for
supernatural favours.
One merely
respects the Buddha and studies his
path. But the
Bodhisattvas are much more approachable, and are seen as
intercessory beings who will carry your
prayers to the proper places. This is why their shrines are so important in the
popular religion of
Buddhist Asia.
