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The Bodhisattva as Compassion Warrior
Lewis Richmond
Buddhist writer and teacher
Posted: 07/03/2012 7:24 am
In San Francisco's Asian Art Museum there is a stunning Chinese figure of a seated male Kuan-Yin (Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit), with a powerful, implacable, yet sympathetic expression. Whenever I see this statue I think, "Don't mess with this guy"; and then I think, "In a real pickle, I'd go to him." In Chinese Buddhism Kuan-Yin is more often displayed as a female figure of grace and beauty, but this male figure shows Kuan Yin's aspect as a warrior and protector. The "thirty-three armed Kuan-Yin" is another iconic portrayal of this Bodhisattva; many of its arms brandish a weapon such as a spear or a sword.
I think that one possible translation of the term bodhisattva (literally "enlightenment-being"
could be "compassion warrior." Some may object to the term "warrior" but to me it expresses the courageous or fierce aspect of compassion. Mohandas Gandhi, our modern saint of ahimsa, or non-violence, likened the attitude needed to really practice non-violence with the courage of a warrior in battle, ready to face death.
In Mahayana Buddhism there are the 16 Bodhisattva precepts: the three refuges, the three pure precepts ("Do good, avoid evil, benefit beings" and the so-called ten prohibitory precepts ("Do not kill, do not lie, do not steal," and so on). I have practiced with these 16 precepts for much of my life, and given them ceremonially to others in lay and priest ordinations. But in my own life I have developed a parallel set of moral principles that I try to live by: 1) Stand up for what you believe; 2) Do what you say you will do; 3) Stand by your friends; 4) Fix a mistake if you can; 5) Don't blow your own horn; and 6) Protect the weak and vulnerable. These six feel to me like expressions of Bodhisattva life, especially its "compassion warrior" aspect.
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lewis-richmond/bodhisattva-as-compassion-warrior_b_1641349.html
Buddhist writer and teacher
Posted: 07/03/2012 7:24 am
In San Francisco's Asian Art Museum there is a stunning Chinese figure of a seated male Kuan-Yin (Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit), with a powerful, implacable, yet sympathetic expression. Whenever I see this statue I think, "Don't mess with this guy"; and then I think, "In a real pickle, I'd go to him." In Chinese Buddhism Kuan-Yin is more often displayed as a female figure of grace and beauty, but this male figure shows Kuan Yin's aspect as a warrior and protector. The "thirty-three armed Kuan-Yin" is another iconic portrayal of this Bodhisattva; many of its arms brandish a weapon such as a spear or a sword.
I think that one possible translation of the term bodhisattva (literally "enlightenment-being"
could be "compassion warrior." Some may object to the term "warrior" but to me it expresses the courageous or fierce aspect of compassion. Mohandas Gandhi, our modern saint of ahimsa, or non-violence, likened the attitude needed to really practice non-violence with the courage of a warrior in battle, ready to face death.
In Mahayana Buddhism there are the 16 Bodhisattva precepts: the three refuges, the three pure precepts ("Do good, avoid evil, benefit beings"
and the so-called ten prohibitory precepts ("Do not kill, do not lie, do not steal," and so on). I have practiced with these 16 precepts for much of my life, and given them ceremonially to others in lay and priest ordinations. But in my own life I have developed a parallel set of moral principles that I try to live by: 1) Stand up for what you believe; 2) Do what you say you will do; 3) Stand by your friends; 4) Fix a mistake if you can; 5) Don't blow your own horn; and 6) Protect the weak and vulnerable. These six feel to me like expressions of Bodhisattva life, especially its "compassion warrior" aspect.
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lewis-richmond/bodhisattva-as-compassion-warrior_b_1641349.html