[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Lotus Sutra for Humanities Readers <3> - The Bodhisattva's Buddhism

Editor's NoteWho am I, and how can I escape suffering to become happy? We continuously learn new things to better understand ourselves and the world around us. The Buddhist teaching of dependent origination (緣起), which explains that the existence of 'self' and this world are not separate but constantly influence each other, and that neither can exist without the other, is also a wisdom to understand oneself. Professor Ha Young-su of Geumgang University, an expert on the Lotus Sutra, says that the answer to the question we constantly ask ourselves today?'What am I in this impermanent world?'?is contained in this scripture. The core message is that anyone can equally become a Buddha. However, there is a condition: it is the 'unceasing practice of the bodhisattva path.' The Lotus Sutra reveals who we truly are, having forgotten the potential for enlightenment due to ignorance, and illuminates the path to follow. Word count: 927.

Mahayana (大乘) means 'great vehicle.' Mahayana Buddhists criticized the existing sectarian Buddhism by calling it 'Hinayana (小乘),' meaning 'lesser vehicle.' To use an analogy, Hinayana Buddhism is like a small boat that one crosses the river alone, whereas Mahayana is like a cruise ship carrying many people together. Thus, the term Mahayana implies that many people cross the sea of suffering (sa?s?ra) together.

Mahayana Buddhism criticized the arahants of Hinayana Buddhism for seeking only their own salvation and proposed a new ideal of practice. That ideal is the 'bodhisattva.'

The term bodhisattva has become a common word today, even referring to female devotees, but originally, this term comes from the past lives of Shakyamuni Buddha. It is said that the Buddha practiced through many past lives and, during that time, met the Buddha known as the Buddha of the Lamp (燃燈佛), who gave him a prediction that he would become the Buddha named Shakyamuni in the future. Receiving this prediction means that enlightenment is assured. From this event, the practitioner became a bodhisattva. In other words, a bodhisattva is a sentient being whose enlightenment is assured, and this is the origin of the term. Afterwards, the bodhisattva practiced the six p?ramit?s (six perfections)?d?na (generosity), ??la (morality), k??nti (patience), v?rya (diligence), dhy?na (meditation), and praj?? (wisdom)?and is said to have become the present Shakyamuni Buddha.

Mahayana thinkers focused on this term bodhisattva. They vowed to follow the bodhisattva path that Shakyamuni Buddha walked and become Buddhas who save countless sentient beings. This ideal of the bodhisattva is expressed as 'Sanggu Bori Hwahwa Jungsaeng (上求菩提 下化衆生),' meaning to seek enlightenment above and to widely save sentient beings below. In short, Mahayana Buddhism can be defined as the Buddhism of the bodhisattva.

- Ha Young-su, Lotus Sutra for Humanities Readers, Bulkwang Publishing, 16,000 KRW