Bodhisattvas in Hinduism

[Guest guest]

In Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings, who have forsaken the total extinction of phenomenal existence that occurs in Nirvana, to stay behind in the Celestial Pure Lands, to guide beings still suffering in Samsara. They are Ascended Masters, in western terminology, that reside in the etheric planes (the Siddhaloka?).

 

Bodhisattvas are beings of great love and compassion for all sentient beings. Sometimes they visibly appear to people in visions or in dreams, to guide them; though they are always near to us. One of the most famous bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism is Lady Kwan Yin. A being of pure love, who acts as a mother to all who cry out to her.

 

I have read about ascended masters on Hindu websites; that are said to guide men from the subtle planes. These to me are the equivalent of the buddhist bodhisattvas. No?

[Guest guest]

Buddhist boddhisattvas are "esentially" the same as Hindu sanyassis or rishis or what one can terms a "pure" brahmin.

 

boddhisatva comes from buddhi + sattva

 

buddhi = wisdom, intelligence

sattva = pure quality, clarity, righteous

 

hence, one who has pure righetous wisdom

 

The term was used by early Buddhists in India and got spread to other areas secondarily, meaning the primary spreading was of the teaching of Buddhism and secondarily all the terms with it.

 

The position of a boddhisatva would be the same as a sansyasi or an imam or a bishop among their respective followings. This is not to say however, that a bishop is also a boddhisatva.

 

 

BTW, good post considering tommorrow is Buddha Purnima i believe. Thats the Indian celebration of Buddha's birthday. I wish more Hindus would celebrate this. I went to the temple today since i couldnt go tommrrow and found not one person interested. Buddha serves a very important aspect of Indian/Hindu history that all true Hindus should celebrate.

[Guest guest]

Aren't Gurus the fitting definition of a Bodhisattva? They are liberated beings, but stay behind to help guide souls across the ocean of Samsara.

[Guest guest]

Guru's may or may not be a bodhisattva, depending on their level of spiritual advancement. Guru's generally are spiritual teachers and whil on the path may not yet have reached the goal.

 

Yogis and Sadhus, Sages and Sants can all be the Hindu equivelent of Bodhisattva's.

 

 

Thats the Indian celebration of Buddha's birthday. I wish more Hindus would celebrate this. I went to the temple today since i couldnt go tommrrow and found not one person interested. Buddha serves a very important aspect of Indian/Hindu history that all true Hindus should celebrate.

 

 

I have met a number of young Hindus who are ignorant about Buddha and believe he was a Chinese god. This is due to the images they see connecting the Chinese culture and Buddhism. They didn't believe me when I told them Buddha was Indian and came from a Hindu background. They found it harder to believe that he preached in India and instead they had thought he preached in China, Japan and Thailand!

[mt_thejet 0]

Lord Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu, isnt that correct?

although hardly anyone in the hindu community i know worship Lord Buddha.

[Guest guest]

 

I have met a number of young Hindus who are ignorant about Buddha and believe he was a Chinese god. This is due to the images they see connecting the Chinese culture and Buddhism. They didn't believe me when I told them Buddha was Indian and came from a Hindu background. They found it harder to believe that he preached in India and instead they had thought he preached in China, Japan and Thailand!

 

wow! that is unbelievable. To be that uneducated in Indian religious history and call yourself a Hindu. Buddha should be a part of every Hindu sunday school; just like Moses and Noah are in Christian sunday school classes. Buddha was an important figure in Indian history, and he is the most famous sage in the world, outside of Jesus Christ. Every Hindu should be aware of Buddha and his teachings; especially his teachings on compassion for all beings. There would be zero caste discrimination, if every Hindu followed Lord's Buddha's teachings on this matter.

[Guest guest]

 

wow! that is unbelievable. To be that uneducated in Indian religious history and call yourself a Hindu. Buddha should be a part of every Hindu sunday school; just like Moses and Noah are in Christian sunday school classes. Buddha was an important figure in Indian history, and he is the most famous sage in the world, outside of Jesus Christ. Every Hindu should be aware of Buddha and his teachings; especially his teachings on compassion for all beings. There would be zero caste discrimination, if every Hindu followed Lord's Buddha's teachings on this matter.

 

Yes, some of our Hindu youths are really that ignorant. I knew an oriental guy at work who is buddhist and told me he told some Hindus he worked with that Buddha was from India, but they didn't believe him, either. So you see it's not just Hindu youths who are ignorant, some Adults are clueless too.

 

Buddha's teachings were so great and he's become such a popular spiritual personality in the world which is great considering his religion is not at all aggressive, like Christians and Muslims. I've even come across some muslims that say he was a muslim prophet, which is quite laughable seeing how they ignore his reincarnation, and law of karma theory, let alone his agnosticism. It's like they're tryin to absorb all the worlds religious personalites and pass them off as muslims.

 

As for caste discrimination, India florished during buddhist rule and lower castes achieved well under it. The Casteist Hindus should learn something from this and realise their caste-by-birth rule is weak.

[Guest guest]

 

On one occasion a caste-ridden brahmin insulted the Buddha saying. "Stop, thou shaveling! Stop, thou outcast!"

 

The Master, without any feeling of indignation, gently replied:

 

"Birth makes not a man an outcast,

Birth makes not a man a brahmin;

Action makes a man an outcast,

Action makes a man a brahmin."

 

(Sutta-nipâta, 142)

 

He then delivered a whole sermon, the Vasala Sutta, explaining to the brahmin in detail the characteristics of one who is really an outcast (vasala). Convinced, the haughty brahmin took refuge in the Buddha.