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In Mahayana Buddhism, bodhisattva is the Sanskrit term for anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.〔''The Bodhisattva Vow'': A Practical Guide to Helping Others, page 1, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1995) ISBN 978-0-948006-50-0〕 A bodhisattva is one of the four sublime states a human can achieve in life (the others being an arhat, buddha or pratyekabuddha).〔P. 313 ''Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse'' by Dilgo Khyentse〕 Usage of the term bodhisattva has evolved over time. In early Indian Buddhism, for example, the term ''bodhisattva'' was primarily used to refer specifically to Gautama Buddha in his former lives.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=bodhisattva - Buddhist ideal )〕 The Jataka tales, which are the stories of the Buddha's lives, depict the various attempts of the bodhisattva to embrace qualities like self-sacrifice and morality.〔 Bodhisattvas are a popular subject in Buddhist art. ==Theravāda Buddhism== In Theravada Buddhism, the equivalent Pali term ''bodhisatta'' is used in the Pāli Canon to refer to Gautama Buddha in his previous lives〔Basham, A.L. (1981). The evolution of the concept of the bodhisattva. In: Leslie S Kawamura, The Bodhisattva doctrine in Buddhism, Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion by Wilfred Laurier University Press, p.19〕 and as a young man in his current life in the period during which he was working towards his own liberation. When, during his discourses, he recounts his experiences as a young aspirant, he regularly uses the phrase "When I was an unenlightened bodhisatta..." The term therefore connotes a being who is "bound for enlightenment", in other words, a person whose aim is to become fully enlightened. In the Pāli canon, the bodhisatta is also described as someone who is still subject to birth, illness, death, sorrow, defilement, and delusion. Some of the previous lives of the Buddha as a bodhisattva are featured in the Jataka tales. In later Theravada literature, the term "bodhisatta" is used fairly frequently in the sense of someone on the path to liberation.〔(南傳菩薩道(上) )〕 The later tradition of commentary also recognizes the existence of two additional types of bodhisattas: the ''paccekabodhisatta'', who will attain Paccekabuddhahood, and the ''savakabodhisatta'', who will attain enlightenment as a disciple of a Buddha. According to the Theravāda teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi, the bodhisattva path was not taught by the Buddha. Kings of Sri Lanka were often described as bodhisattvas, starting at least as early as Sirisanghabodhi (r. 247-249), who was renowned for his compassion, who took vows for the welfare of the citizens, and was regarded as a mahāsatta (Sanskrit ''mahāsattva''), an epithet used almost exclusively in Mahayana Buddhism.〔Holt, John. ''Buddha in the Crown : Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka.'' 1991. p. 59〕 Many other kings of Sri Lanka from the 3rd century until the 15th century were also described as bodhisattvas and their royal duties were sometimes clearly associated with the practice of the Ten Pāramitās.〔Holt, John. ''Buddha in the Crown : Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka.'' 1991. pp. 59-60〕 Theravadin bhikkhu and scholar Walpola Rahula stated that the bodhisattva ideal has traditionally been held to be higher than the state of a ''śrāvaka'' not only in Mahayana but also in Theravada Buddhism. He also quotes an inscription from the 10th Century king of Sri Lanka, Mahinda IV (956-972 CE), who had the words inscribed "none but the bodhisattvas will become kings of a prosperous Lanka," among other examples.〔Holt, John. ''Buddha in the Crown : Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka.'' 1991. p. 60〕 Paul Williams writes that some modern Theravada meditation masters in Thailand are popularly regarded as bodhisattvas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bodhisattva」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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