Barry wrote: (snip) > Take the so-called "Bodhisattva Vow." Essentially, it is > declaring to oneself and to the world one's intention to > not allow oneself to become enlightened oneself until > all sentient beings are enlightened. Sounds good on > the surface, but step back for a moment and consider > the HUBRIS of such a statement. > > To make it, you have to believe 1) that you have the > *ability* to help bring all beings to enlightenment > (can't get more hubristic than that), 2) that it is your > *right* to modify these sentient beings life in accord > with how you think they should be, and 3) that the > universe actually gives a shit what you believe or > what you "vow."
I wonder what percentage of people who take the Bodhisattva Vow actually believe any of this, consciously or subconsciously (especially 2, if "how you think they should be" refers to anything but Nirvana).. It's also interesting that the person who wrote the paragraph has been very insistent here that preoccupation with one's own enlightenment to the exclusion of caring about others is also the height of egoism. You just can't win, I guess. Postponing your enlightenment for the sake of others is nothing but ego; pursuing your enlightenment without concern for others is nothing but ego.
