Bodhisattva is the Buddhist term for somebody who, believing in reincarnation, vows to keep coming back to earth again and again, as long as it takes, until all living beings become free.
Even for us 'God people' in the West--though most of us don't believe in literal reincarnation--the love and commitment of a bodhisattva is a lovely and powerful embodiment of what committing to compassion looks like.
Also, for those of us who are 'God people,' I don't think is much of a stretch to think of God as a bodisattva, too. Not leaving us as orphans, but loving us, living with us and in us for as long it takes for the commonweal of God to become the common reality of everything that lives and breathes on Earth.
I find the Buddhist understanding of the path of a bodisattva helpful--and very bracing. Something about it wakes me up--shows me the Jesus Way freshly, reminding me again what it is and what it takes to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
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May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
Following the bodhisattva way…is based on the truth that we
can transform our own circumstances into a life of inner and outer service. To
do this without being overwhelmed, the bodhisattva creates a life of balance.
This is eminently practical. If we want to act wisely in the
world, the first step is to learn to quiet the mind. Only when our own minds
and hearts are peaceful can we expect peace to come through the actions we
take.
The quieting of our mind is a political act. The world does
not need more oil or energy or food. It needs less greed, less hatred, less
ignorance…. Through meditation and inner transformation, we can learn to make
our own hearts a place of peace and integrity. Each of us knows how to do this.
There is no separation between inner and outer, self and
other. Tending ourselves we tend the world. Tending the world we tend
ourselves.
Therapists talk about how clients eventually become sick of
listening to themselves, which is actually a good sign. It means we are moving
beyond the identification with our personal suffering. We are ready to care for
a world larger than our own.
