Harlock Hero (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} harlockhero) wrote,@ 2008-04-15 02:02:00 |
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Bodhisattva Vows
Probably the greatest stumbling block on the way to becoming a Bodhisattva is expecting, or worse, desiring that people act in manners that are discordant with what one knows to be their nature. For instance, it would be foolish to expect a pacifist friend to back you up in a street fight. There are also people from which one should never expect behavior that might be taken for granted in the majority of people, such as the ability to consider other's feelings when acting, or to issue due apologies. In either case, it doesn't make the person bad, it just makes you a fool for having unrealistic expectations. Better is to bypass expectations altogether, and just try to do good with the characteristics and characters that are placed in front of you in the course of your work. Trying to change others is never going to work. Besides, if we believe that everyone has the capacity for good in them, there is no reason to pursue changes of this sort.
The only question involved is the one that always baffles me, how to live both as a Bodhisattva and as an actual human, someone with preferences and desires still tying one to samsara? Should a Bodhisattva sever ties with people with whom he or she cannot get along? That seems more in line of the isolationist monk instead of the compassionate Bodhisattva, but there's probably a point at which too much is too much and ways need to be parted for the benefit of everyone involved.
If this doesn't make sense to anyone reading it, sorry, just me working out a personal problem. If you get what I mean though, commentary would be appreciated.
Probably the greatest stumbling block on the way to becoming a Bodhisattva is expecting, or worse, desiring that people act in manners that are discordant with what one knows to be their nature. For instance, it would be foolish to expect a pacifist friend to back you up in a street fight. There are also people from which one should never expect behavior that might be taken for granted in the majority of people, such as the ability to consider other's feelings when acting, or to issue due apologies. In either case, it doesn't make the person bad, it just makes you a fool for having unrealistic expectations. Better is to bypass expectations altogether, and just try to do good with the characteristics and characters that are placed in front of you in the course of your work. Trying to change others is never going to work. Besides, if we believe that everyone has the capacity for good in them, there is no reason to pursue changes of this sort.
The only question involved is the one that always baffles me, how to live both as a Bodhisattva and as an actual human, someone with preferences and desires still tying one to samsara? Should a Bodhisattva sever ties with people with whom he or she cannot get along? That seems more in line of the isolationist monk instead of the compassionate Bodhisattva, but there's probably a point at which too much is too much and ways need to be parted for the benefit of everyone involved.
If this doesn't make sense to anyone reading it, sorry, just me working out a personal problem. If you get what I mean though, commentary would be appreciated.
