The Bodhisattva vow is a
vow
A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath.
A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual.
Marriage vows
Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedd ...
(
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: ''praṇidhāna,'' lit. aspiration or resolution) taken by some
Mahāyāna
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhism, Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BC ...
Buddhists to achieve full
buddhahood
In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...
for the sake of all
sentient beings
Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...
. One who has taken the vow is nominally known as a
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
(a being working towards buddhahood). This can be done by venerating all Buddhas and by cultivating supreme moral and spiritual perfection, to be placed in the service of others. In particular,
bodhisattvas
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
promise to practice the
six perfections
6 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
6 or six may also refer to:
* AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era
* 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era
* The month of June
Science
* Carbon, the element with atomic number 6
* 6 Hebe, an asteroid
Peop ...
of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom in order to fulfill their
bodhicitta
In Mahayana Buddhism, bodhicitta, ("enlightenment-mind" or "the thought of awakening"), is the mind (citta) that is aimed at awakening ( bodhi), with wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings. Bodhicitta is the defining quali ...
aim of attaining buddhahood for the sake of all beings.
The vow is commonly taken in a
ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...
setting, overseen by a senior monastic, teacher or
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
.
Whereas the
prātimokṣa vows cease at death, the bodhisattva vow extends into future lives. The bodhisattva vows should not be confused with the
Bodhisattva Precepts
The Bodhisattva Precepts ( Skt. ''bodhisattva-śīla'', , ja, bosatsukai) are a set of ethical trainings ('' śīla'') used in Mahāyāna Buddhism to advance a practitioner along the path to becoming a bodhisattva. Traditionally, monastics obse ...
(
Skt. ''bodhisattva-śīla''), which are specific ethical guidelines for bodhisattvas.
Background
Buddhist sources like the ''
Buddhavaṃsa
The ''Buddhavaṃsa'' (also known as the ''Chronicle of Buddhas'') is a hagiographical Buddhist text which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and of the twenty-four Buddhas who preceded him and prophesied his attainment of Buddhahood. It is ...
'' and the ''
Mahāvastu
The Mahāvastu (Sanskrit for "Great Event" or "Great Story") is a text of the Lokottaravāda school of Early Buddhism. It describes itself as being a historical preface to the Buddhist monastic codes (''vinaya''). Over half of the text is compo ...
,'' contain stories of how in a previous life,
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
(then known as Sumedha) encountered the previous Buddha,
Dīpankara, and made the vow to one day become a Buddha. Dīpankara confirmed that he would become a Buddha in the future. All
early Buddhist schools
The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which the Buddhist monastic saṅgha split early in the history of Buddhism. The divisions were originally due to differences in Vinaya and later also due to doctrinal differences and geographic ...
held that making a vow in front of a living Buddha (and receiving a prediction), just like Sakyamuni had done, was the only way to become a bodhisattva.
[Drewes, David, ]
Mahāyāna Sūtras and Opening of the Bodhisattva Path
', Paper presented at the XVIII the IABS Congress, Toronto 2017, Updated 2019.
This view remains the orthodox understanding of bodhisattva vows in the
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
tradition.
In the Mahayana ''
Lalitavistarasutra,'' the bodhisattva
Siddhartha (before becoming Sakyamuni Buddha) is said to have taken the following vow:
I will attain the immortal, undecaying, pain-free Bodhi, and free the world from all pain.
The Sanskrit ''
Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā'' sutra states that a bodhisattva should train themselves with the following thought:
Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā
' (English translation by Edward Conze, Sanskrit text by Vaidya) Bibliotheca Polyglotta, University of Oslo
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
.
ātmānaṃ ca tathatāyāṃ sthāpayiṣyāmi sarvalokānugrahāya, sarvasattvān api tathatāyāṃ sthāpayiṣyāmi, aprameyaṃ sattvadhātuṃ parinirvāpayiṣyāmīti
My own self I will place in Suchness, and, so that all the world might be helped, I will place all beings into Suchness, and I will lead to Nirvana the whole immeasurable world of beings.
The sutra further states that "with that intention should a Bodhisattva undertake all the exercises which bring about all the wholesome roots. But he should not boast about them."
In later Indian
Mahāyāna
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhism, Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BC ...
Buddhism (and in modern Mahayana as well), one can become a bodhisattva by taking the vow and giving rise to bodhicitta in a ceremonial setting.
Indian Mahāyāna Buddhists often accomplished this through a ritual called the "seven part worship" (''saptāṇgapūjā'' or ''saptavidhā anuttarapūjā''), which consists of: ''vandana'' (obeisance), worship,
refuge, confession, rejoicing, prayers and requesting the buddhas to remain in the world.
Fourfold vows
In Mahāyāna sutras
Fourfold bodhisattva vows (that is, a set of vows with four main components), are found in numerous ''
Mahāyāna sutras''. According to
Jan Nattier
Jan Nattier is an American scholar of Mahāyana Buddhism.
Early life and education
She earned her PhD in Inner Asian and Altaic Studies from Harvard University (1988), and subsequently taught at the University of Hawaii (1988-1990), Stanford Unive ...
, there is a set of four bodhisattva vows that appears in various sutras including the ''
Ugraparipṛcchā Sūtra
The ''Ugraparipṛcchā Sūtra'' (''The inquiry of Ugra'') is an early Indian sutra which is particularly important for understanding the beginnings of Mahayana Buddhism. It contains positive references to both the path of the bodhisattva and the p ...
'', the ''
Lotus Sūtra
The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...
'' (in the
Dharmaraksa and
Kumarajiva translations)'','' the ''
Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā'' (in the Chinese translation by
Lokaksema and Chih Ch'ien), the ''
Avadānaśataka'' and the ''Compassionate Lotus sutra.
[Nattier, Jan (January 2003). ''A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to the Inquiry of Ugra (Ugraparipṛcchā): a Study and Translation.'' pp. 147-151. University of Hawaii Press. .]'' Nattier translates this fourfold vow as follows:
The unrescued I will rescue
The unliberated I will liberate
The uncomforted I will comfort
Those who have not yet reached paranirvana
In Buddhism, ''parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of someone who has attained ''nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth a ...
, I will cause to attain paranirvana
Nattier also notes that a similar set of four vows (with small differences in wording) appears in the ''
Dipankara
Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kappas ago. According to some Buddhist or folk t ...
Jataka
The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...
'', the ''
Mahavastu,'' the
''Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā'' (in the Chinese translation by Kumarajiva), the ''Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā'' and in some Lotus Sutra translations.
Nattier translates this other fourfold vow as follows:
Having crossed over yself I will rescue thers
Liberated, I will liberate thers
Comforted, I will comfort thers
Having attained paranirvana, I will cause thersto attain paranirvana.
Nattier further notes that "it is quite possible to identify clear antecedents of these vows in pre-Mahayana literature" and thus it is likely that these fourfold vows evolved from earlier passages (found in the ''
Digha Nikaya
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
'' and the ''
Majjhima Nikaya'' as well as the Chinese
Agamas
Religion
*Āgama (Buddhism), a collection of Early Buddhist texts
*Āgama (Hinduism), scriptures of several Hindu sects
*Jain literature (Jain Āgamas), various canonical scriptures in Jainism
Other uses
* ''Agama'' (lizard), a genus of lizards ...
) that describe the activity of the Buddha.''
'' One such passage states:''
''
Awakened, the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma for the sake of awakening.
Disciplined, the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disciplining.
Calmed, the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma for the sake of calming.
Having crossed over, the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma for the sake of crossing over.
In East Asian Buddhism
In
East Asian Buddhism
East Asian Buddhism or East Asian Mahayana is a collective term for the schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed across East Asia which follow the Chinese Buddhist canon. These include the various forms of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vi ...
, the most common bodhisattva vows are a series of "four extensive vows" outlined by the
Tiantai
Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. The school emphasizes the ''Lotus Sutra's'' doctrine of the "One Vehicle" (''Ekayāna'') as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy, ...
Patriarch
Zhiyi
Zhiyi (; 538–597 CE) also Chen De'an (陳德安), is the fourth patriarch of the Tiantai tradition of Buddhism in China. His standard title was Śramaṇa Zhiyi (沙門智顗), linking him to the broad tradition of Indian asceticism. Zhiyi i ...
. According to Robert F. Rhodes, Zhiyi presents two versions of the four vows. The first one is taken from the Chinese version of the ''
Lotus Sūtra
The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...
'' and states:
[R hodes, Robert F. (1984) ]
The four extensive vows and four noble truths in T’ien-t’ai Buddhism.
' Annual Memoirs of the Otani University Shin Buddhist Comprehensive Research Institute 2: 53-91.
* Those who have not yet been ferried over, I will ferry over.
* Those who have not yet understood, I will cause them to understand.
* Those who have not settled themselves, I will cause them to be settled.
* Those who have not attained nirvana, I will cause them to attain nirvana.
The second set of vows is original to Zhiyi's corpus and states:
* Sentient beings, limitless in number, I vow to ferry over.
* Passions (klesa) which are numberless, I vow to extinguish.
* The Dharma-gates without end (in number), I vow to know.
* The supreme Buddha Way, I vow to actualize.
Zhiyi explains that these vows correspond to the
Four Noble Truths
In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: ; pi, cattāri ariyasaccāni; "The four Arya satyas") are "the truths of the Noble Ones", the truths or realities for the "spiritually worthy ones".
The_following_table_presents_the_fourfold_bodhisattva_vow_in_various_languages:
_Vows_from_the_''Avataṃsaka_Sūtra''
The_''_and_that_these_vows_arise_with_the_four_truths_as_their_basis.
The_following_table_presents_the_fourfold_bodhisattva_vow_in_various_languages:
_Vows_from_the_''Avataṃsaka_Sūtra''
The_''Avatamsaka_Sutra">Avataṃsaka_Sūtra,''_a_large_composite_text'',''_contains_various_passages_discussing_the_practices_and_vows_that_bodhisattvas_undertake._One_example_can_be_found_in_book_18_of_the_text,_which_contains_the_following_ten_vows:Enlightening_beings_have_ten_pure_vows:_(1)_they_vow_to_develop_living_beings_to_maturity,_without_wearying;_(2)_they_vow_to_fully_practice_all_virtues_and_purify_all_worlds;_(3)_they_vow_to_serve_the_Enlightened,_always_engendering_honor_and_respect;_(4)_they_vow_to_keep_and_protect_the_true_teaching,_not_begrudging_their_lives;_(5)_they_vow_to_observe_with_wisdom_and_enter_the_lands_of_the_Buddhas;_(6)_they_vow_to_be_of_the_same_essence_as_all_enlightening_beings;_(7)_they_vow_to_enter_the_door_of_realization_of_thusness_and_comprehend_all_things;_(8)_they_vow_that_those_who_see_them_will_develop_faith_and_all_be_benefited;_(9)_they_vow_to_stay_in_the_world_forever_by_spiritual_power;_(10)_they_vow_to_fulfill_the_practice_of_Universal_Good,_and_master_the_knowledge_of_all_particulars_and_all_ways_of_liberation._These_are_the_ten_pure_vows_of_enlightening_beings.
__Ten_vows_of_Samantabhadra_
In_the_''Avataṃsaka_Sūtra'',_Samantabhadra_(Bodhisattva).html" "title="Avatamsaka_Sutra.html" ;"title="Four Noble Truths: BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Encycl ...
and that these vows arise with the four truths as their basis.
The following table presents the fourfold bodhisattva vow in various languages:
Vows from the ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra''
The ''Avatamsaka Sutra">Avataṃsaka Sūtra,'' a large composite text'','' contains various passages discussing the practices and vows that bodhisattvas undertake. One example can be found in book 18 of the text, which contains the following ten vows:
Enlightening beings have ten pure vows: (1) they vow to develop living beings to maturity, without wearying; (2) they vow to fully practice all virtues and purify all worlds; (3) they vow to serve the Enlightened, always engendering honor and respect; (4) they vow to keep and protect the true teaching, not begrudging their lives; (5) they vow to observe with wisdom and enter the lands of the Buddhas; (6) they vow to be of the same essence as all enlightening beings; (7) they vow to enter the door of realization of thusness and comprehend all things; (8) they vow that those who see them will develop faith and all be benefited; (9) they vow to stay in the world forever by spiritual power; (10) they vow to fulfill the practice of Universal Good, and master the knowledge of all particulars and all ways of liberation. These are the ten pure vows of enlightening beings.
Ten vows of Samantabhadra
In the ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra'', Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)">Samantabhadra
Samantabhadra (Lit. "All Good", or "Always Auspicious") may refer to:
* Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva), a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation
* ''Samantabhadra'' (Tibetan: ''Kuntu Zangpo''), the name of a Buddha, ...
. Samantabhadra's vows also appear in the ''Samantabhadra-caryā-praṇidhānam,'' which is often appended to the end of the ''Avataṃsaka'' but originally circulated as an independent text.
Reciting these ten vows is also promoted by
in his ''Śikṣāsamuccaya.''
The ten vows of Samantabhadra are:
# The vow to pay homage to all the buddhas
# To praise the virtues of the buddhas
# To serve and make offerings to the buddhas
# To confess past misdeeds and uphold the precepts
# To rejoice in the merit and virtues of buddhas, bodhisattvas and all sentient beings
# To ask the buddhas to preach the
# To always follow the buddhas' teachings
# To serve/benefit all sentient beings
# To transfer the merit from all practices to the liberation of all beings
,'' which is entitled ''Embracing Bodhicitta.'' Various forms of these verses are used to generate
and take the bodhisattva vow. The set of verses which are considered to be the actual taking of the bodhisattva vow are verses 23 and 24 of the third chapter. These verses state:
In the ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra,'' the actual taking of the vow is preceded by various other preparatory practices and prayers, particularly what is called the Seven Branch Practice (Tib. ''yan lag bdun pa''), often done through the recitation of a prayer. The seven branches are:
# Prostration to the three jewels, supplicating Buddhas and bodhisattvas
# Making physical, verbal and mental offerings to the Buddhas
# Confessing one's negative deeds, "one admits to doing the negative deed, one feels true remorse and then one resolves not to do it again."
# Rejoicing in the goodness and virtues of others
# Requesting the Buddhas to turn the wheel of Dharma (to teach the way)
# Requesting the Buddhas not to pass away into final extinction, but to keep coming back to teach and help others
# Dedicating the
teaches the following way of taking the vow, which begins by reading "through the second and third chapters of the ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' up until the second line of verse 23." The Dalai Lama then writes:
In Tibetan Buddhism there are two lineages of the bodhisattva vow, which are linked to two sets of
. The first is associated with the
movement of Indian Buddhism, and is said to have originated with the bodhisattva
. The second is associated with the
. The main difference between these two lineages of the bodhisattva vow is that in the
vows. Both traditions share a set of 18 major precepts (or "downfalls"). There are also sets of minor precepts.
called ''Bodhicittotpadaviddhi'' (''Ritual for giving rise to bodhicitta,'' Tib. ''Byang chub mchog tu sems bskyed pa'i cho ga'') has the following bodhisattva vow:
by Dr. Alexander Berzin (including commentary according to Tibetan Gelug Tradition)
* Th