Joyful Abandon

When it comes to learning to practice ways of compassionate love, no tradition exceeds tibetan buddhism in providing technology. Tibetan buddhism aims for enlightenment like any other spiritual path but the reason for the aim is different. 

Many paths are profound and intimate, a love affair and intellectual relationship between a seeker and the divine. The tibetan buddhist path, however, seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Not just you. 

When you can be enlightened, everyone will benefit. An enlightened being never causes harm and always brings harmony, good or bad. 

Tonglen is the tibetan buddhist practice of learning to relate to other beings as if they were yourself. To put it simply, when you practice tonglen you are practicing the art of relating to other people as if you were an enlightened being. 

Someone who has become experienced with the art of enlightened relating is called a Bodhisattva. A bodhisattva is someone who to human eyes would appear no different than an enlightened being. A bodhisattva is all but enlightened. An ego remains, however, for one compassionate reason or another. 

Right now I am taking the journey of the bodhisattva in addition to my daily meditation and spiritual practices. The Bodhisattva Vow that I took is as follows:

As earth and the other elements, together with space, eternally provide sustenance in many ways for the countless sentient beings, 

So may I become sustenance in every way for sentient beings to the limits of space, until all have attained nirvana. 

As the sugatas of old gave birth to the bodhicitta and progressively established themselves in the training of a bodhisattva, 

So I too, for the benefit of beings, shall give birth to the bodhicitta and progressively train myself in that discipline. 

There are many translations and versions of the vows. This, excerpted in one of Pema Chodron’s books, is one of my favorites. 

I am beginning to think that if I want to live in this society earnestly while at the same time maintaining a spiritual lifestyle, the way of the Bodhisattva is the best manner (for me) to continue to relate with fellow humans and the rest of the world. 

We’ll see how it goes. You all will be the first to find out! :P

Namaste, sangha. Thanks for being Here.