References: <d0d.58274625.377e6...@aol.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="------------030806040706050902070009"
--------------030806040706050902070009
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
hey Rick- never heard the word before but seems like a interesting
thing to pursue the concepts
I always thought about the Templar Knights and all those that protect
and serve peopleand the less fortunate
Ifound this on google.. the explanation.. kinda like a buddah mench?
Becoming a Bodhisattva is a huge step in helping not only yourself,
but
also every other sentient being, both seen and unseen. Most people are
self-motivated and work primarily to solve their own problems, keeping
others a distant second. Should someone do an act of kindness,
repayment
is generally expected whether in the form of a thank you and/or
further
praise.
A Bodhisattva is motivated by pure compassion and love. Their goal
is to
achieve the highest level of being: that of a Buddha. Bodhisattva is a
Sanskrit term which translates as: Bodhi [enlightenment] and sattva
[being]. And their reason for becoming a Buddha is to help others. The
Bodhisattva will undergo any type of suffering to help another
sentient
being, whether a tiny insect or a huge mammal. In Shakyamuni Buddha's
'Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines' it states: "I will become a
savior
to all those beings, I will release them from all their
sufferings." If
this sounds familiar to anyone not acquainted with Buddhism, then you
only need to think of the example of Jesus Christ, a true Bodhisattva.
When someone first enters the way of the Bodhisattva, they develop
Bodhicitta, or, mind of enlightenment. Even as a person strives
towards
such an exalted goal, they feel as though they are limited by the fact
that they, too, are suffering. So that they can be of aid to others,
they decide to become Buddhas for a Buddha is capable of unlimited
compassion and wisdom. Also, Buddhas are able to relate to all
others at
whatever level is needed. To those of lesser intelligence, a Buddha
will
use simpler words; and to those of great intelligence, a Buddha can
explain answers in a more exalted language.
By entering the Bodhisattva way, the mind must become enlightened. And
so the training begins by generating the 6 Perfections.
The 6 Perfections:
The 6 Perfections are: 1] generosity, 2] ethics, 3] patience, 4]
effort,
5] concentration, and 6] wisdom.
Generosity - How does one become more generous? Is it possible to rid
oneself of materialistic tendencies, selfishness and a desire to
want to
be kind to others and give to those who lack? Being able to provide
for
people by starting a business and then hiring those who need jobs
would
be profitable not only for yourself but for those who were previously
unemployed. Volunteering your time and talents to those who need
them is
also a way of cultivating generosity. To share Buddhist teachings so
people are able to help themselves and in turn, others, is the finest
gift you can offer. You have created a positive ripple effect. The
ripples of the teachings will travel far and wide to allow many to be
assisted.
The attitude behind your generosity is of the utmost importance;
giving
with anger or the desire for payment isn't a good motivation. But
if you
have a humble motivation to help, then you're on your way to become a
Bodhisattva.
Ethics - Knowing the basic difference between right and wrong is
imperative to generating the 6 Perfections. To practice the perfection
of ethics means to refrain from doing harm to yourself and all those
around you. Killing, sexual misconduct, consuming harmful substances
such as alcohol or drugs, being deceitful, and using abusive language
must be avoided. All harmful actions are caused by a mind that harbors
them, therefore it's highly important to be mindful of all your
thoughts.
Patience - A lack of patience is prevalent in today's society and this
will change if we want to evolve into a Bodhisattva. Patience is the
antidote to anger. In Chandrakirti's 'Supplement to the Middle Way' he
writes: "It makes us ugly, leads to the unholy, and robs us of
discernment to know right from wrong." When we become angry, our body
stiffens, our blood pressure rises, our breathing is impaired, as
is our
reason. Far too many people languish in prisons due to a few seconds
when they went out of control and their anger harmed someone. Anger
directed at oneself can result in suicide. Anger causes wars of all
sizes.
Patience creates a joyousness within us. Our features become
relaxed and
we can look many years younger. We are then tolerant and happy and
much
further along the path of becoming a Bodhisattva.
Effort - Enthusiastic effort is necessary if you want to achieve
anything, but for something as noble and challenging as joining the
ranks of the Bodhisattvas, effort is definitely a requirement. Who
doesn't want their efforts repaid instantly? However, the way of the
Bodhisattva is arduous and requires virtues that many of us currently
lack. Laziness is a huge fault that curtails effort. Tomorrow never
comes so your effort is needed NOW!
Concentration - Developing a calm mind through meditation will sharpen
our concentration. Being able to focus single-pointedly on one object
with a non-wavering mind will be a great advantage. The calm-abiding
mind develops clairvoyance and abilities to heal ourselves and others.
When radiating inward and outward calm, you'll become like a
lighthouse
in a stormy night. You'll inspire others with your strong mental
capabilities and they in turn will want the inner peace that you have
found for yourself. Concentration is a form of mindfulness. This means
that when you pay unwavering attention to what you're doing, you avoid
many frustrations. Lack of mindfulness in the kitchen might result in
burning a casserole, which not only wasting the ingredients, but twice
as much time will be spent cleaning up the mess. Not practicing
mindfulness when driving causes accidents. As Lama Tsong Khapa
writes in
his 'Summary of the Stages of the Path': "Concentration is a king with
dominion over the mind, once placed, immovable like the king of
mountains."
Wisdom - Wisdom is the root of all great qualities we can cultivate in
this life. As the Sixth Perfection, it is the total of the other five.
Meditation on wisdom is essential for entering into the stages of
being
a Bodhisattva. Buddhist texts emphasize two vital subjects when it
comes
to knowledge--selflessness and impermanence. Everything changes
constantly. One day you leave work at 5:30, the next day it's 5:45.
Nothing is fixed; it's variable. As for selflessness, we must first
discover the location of the self. Is it in the body? If so, where--
the
mind? The physical world and all living beings are created by the
mind.
As we are the results of our past actions, so is the world we live in.
Since there are places on earth that are like heaven, those areas
where
so much virtue has settled that people travel great distances to see
such wonderful locations. Conversely, the hellish regions are dense
accumulations of non-virtue and evil thrives there, keeping people
captive to the negative states of consciousness.
To become a Bodhisattva is to be fearless. There is no aversion for
those who are hostile and there is no obsessive clinging to those who
are closest to us. There is no possessiveness, only love,
compassion and
discernment into the nature of reality.
Santideva, the 8th century Bodhisattva wrote a book entitled
'Bodhisattvacharyavatara,' which is one of the most important texts
that
students of Tibetan Buddhism study. The title has been translated into
'A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life' and is written in verse form.
While there are only 10 chapters, dealing with the 6 perfections as
well
as developing the spirit of awakening, in chapter 10, verse 55 the
entire essence of the meaning of Bodhisattva is beautifully expressed:
"For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world."
rixpost...@aol.com wrote:
I think Tom Martin is an Enlightened human being...possibly a
Bodihsattva. On some days, I find more wisdom and knowledge in his
writings (or, ramblings if you prefer) than in all other posts on
MoPo
combined.
Who knows---possibly The Buddha is among us disguised as a movie
poster collector named Tom. You may think I'm joking, but stranger
things have happened on this planet. Keep posting, Tom. Maybe
wherever you "are" is actually something to strive for, not to
ridicule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---
It's raining cats and dogs -- Come to PawNation
<http://www.pawnation.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000008>, a place where
pets
rule!
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
--------------030806040706050902070009
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/
html;charset=ISO-8859-1">
<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<p> hey Rick- never heard the word before but seems like a
interesting thing
to pursue the concepts<br>
</p>
<p>I always thought about the Templar Knights and all those that
protect
and serve peopleand the less fortunate<br>
Ifound this on google.. the explanation.. kinda like a buddah mench?
<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p> Becoming a Bodhisattva is a huge step in helping not only
yourself, but
also every other sentient being, both seen and unseen. Most people
are self-motivated
and work primarily to solve their own problems, keeping others a
distant second.
Should someone do an act of kindness, repayment is generally
expected whether
in the form of a thank you and/or further praise. </p>
<p> A Bodhisattva is motivated by pure compassion and love.
Their goal
is to achieve the highest level of being: that of a Buddha.
Bodhisattva
is a Sanskrit term which translates as: Bodhi [enlightenment] and
sattva
[being]. And their reason for becoming a Buddha is to help others.
The Bodhisattva
will undergo any type of suffering to help another sentient being,
whether
a tiny insect or a huge mammal. In Shakyamuni Buddha’s
'Perfection of Wisdom
in 8,000 Lines' it states: “I will become a savior to all
those beings, I
will release them from all their sufferings.” If this sounds
familiar to
anyone not acquainted with Buddhism, then you only need to think of
the example
of Jesus Christ, a true Bodhisattva. </p>
<p> When someone first enters the way of the Bodhisattva, they
develop
Bodhicitta, or, mind of enlightenment. Even as a person strives
towards such
an exalted goal, they feel as though they are limited by the fact
that they,
too, are suffering. So that they can be of aid to others, they
decide to
become Buddhas for a Buddha is capable of unlimited compassion and
wisdom.
Also, Buddhas are able to relate to all others at whatever level
is needed.
To those of lesser intelligence, a Buddha will use simpler words;
and to
those of great intelligence, a Buddha can explain answers in a more
exalted
language. </p>
<p> By entering the Bodhisattva way, the mind must become
enlightened.
And so the training begins by generating the 6 Perfections. </p>
<p>
<table align="right" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-6167988213978292";
google_ad_width = 180;
google_ad_height = 90;
google_ad_format = "180x90_0ads_al";
google_ad_channel ="5878910303";
google_color_border = "FFFFFF";
google_color_bg = "FFFFFF";
google_color_link = "339933";
google_color_url = "000000";
google_color_text = "000000";
//--></script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js";>
</script>
<script>google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad",
google_handleError, google_render_ad);</script><iframe
name="google_ads_frame" width="180" height="90" frameborder="0"
src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-
pub-6167988213978292&dt=1246635795787&prev_fmts=336x280_as&
;format=180x90_0ads_al&output=html&correlator=1246635793313&am
p;channel=5878910303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.essortment.com%2Fall%
2Fwhatisbodhisat_rfld.htm&color_bg=FFFFFF&color_text=000000&am
p;color_link=339933&color_url=000000&color_border=FFFFFF&e
a=0&frm=0&ga_vid=215006864.1246620279&ga_sid=1246635795&am
p;ga_hid=896519385&ga_fc=true&flash=6.0.29&w=180&h=90&
amp;u_h=600&u_w=800&u_ah=580&u_aw=800&u_cd=32&u_tz
=-240&u_his=2&u_java=true&u_nplug=4&u_nmime=41&dtd
=61"
marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"
allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no"></iframe> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The 6 Perfections: </p>
<p> The 6 Perfections are: 1] generosity, 2] ethics, 3]
patience, 4]
effort, 5] concentration, and 6] wisdom. </p>
<p> Generosity – How does one become more generous? Is
it possible to
rid oneself of materialistic tendencies, selfishness and a desire
to want
to be kind to others and give to those who lack? Being able to
provide for
people by starting a business and then hiring those who need jobs
would be
profitable not only for yourself but for those who were previously
unemployed.
Volunteering your time and talents to those who need them is also
a way of
cultivating generosity. To share Buddhist teachings so people are
able to
help themselves and in turn, others, is the finest gift you can
offer. You
have created a positive ripple effect. The ripples of the
teachings will
travel far and wide to allow many to be assisted. </p>
<p> The attitude behind your generosity is of the utmost
importance; giving
with anger or the desire for payment isn’t a good
motivation. But if you
have a humble motivation to help, then you’re on your way to
become a Bodhisattva.
</p>
<p> Ethics – Knowing the basic difference between right
and wrong is
imperative to generating the 6 Perfections. To practice the
perfection of
ethics means to refrain from doing harm to yourself and all those
around you.
Killing, sexual misconduct, consuming harmful substances such as
alcohol
or drugs, being deceitful, and using abusive language must be
avoided. All
harmful actions are caused by a mind that harbors them, therefore
it’s highly
important to be mindful of all your thoughts. </p>
<p>Patience – A lack of patience is prevalent in
today’s society and this
will change if we want to evolve into a Bodhisattva. Patience is
the antidote
to anger. In Chandrakirti’s 'Supplement to the Middle Way'
he writes: “It
makes us ugly, leads to the unholy, and robs us of discernment to
know right
from wrong.” When we become angry, our body stiffens, our
blood pressure
rises, our breathing is impaired, as is our reason. Far too many
people languish
in prisons due to a few seconds when they went out of control and
their anger
harmed someone. Anger directed at oneself can result in suicide.
Anger
causes wars of all sizes. </p>
<p> Patience creates a joyousness within us. Our features
become relaxed
and we can look many years younger. We are then tolerant and happy
and much
further along the path of becoming a Bodhisattva. </p>
<p> Effort – Enthusiastic effort is necessary if you want
to achieve anything,
but for something as noble and challenging as joining the ranks of
the Bodhisattvas,
effort is definitely a requirement. Who doesn’t want their
efforts repaid
instantly? However, the way of the Bodhisattva is arduous and
requires virtues
that many of us currently lack. Laziness is a huge fault that
curtails effort.
Tomorrow never comes so your effort is needed NOW! </p>
<p> Concentration – Developing a calm mind through
meditation will sharpen
our concentration. Being able to focus single-pointedly on one
object with
a non-wavering mind will be a great advantage. The calm-abiding
mind develops
clairvoyance and abilities to heal ourselves and others. When
radiating inward
and outward calm, you’ll become like a lighthouse in a stormy
night. You’ll
inspire others with your strong mental capabilities and they in
turn will
want the inner peace that you have found for yourself.
Concentration is
a form of mindfulness. This means that when you pay unwavering
attention
to what you’re doing, you avoid many frustrations. Lack of
mindfulness in
the kitchen might result in burning a casserole, which not only
wasting the
ingredients, but twice as much time will be spent cleaning up the
mess. Not
practicing mindfulness when driving causes accidents. As Lama
Tsong Khapa
writes in his 'Summary of the Stages of the Path':
“Concentration is a king
with dominion over the mind, once placed, immovable like the king
of mountains.”
</p>
<p> Wisdom – Wisdom is the root of all great qualities we
can cultivate
in this life. As the Sixth Perfection, it is the total of the
other five.
Meditation on wisdom is essential for entering into the stages of
being a
Bodhisattva. Buddhist texts emphasize two vital subjects when it
comes to
knowledge—selflessness and impermanence. Everything changes
constantly.
One day you leave work at 5:30, the next day it’s 5:45.
Nothing is fixed;
it’s variable. As for selflessness, we must first discover
the location of
the self. Is it in the body? If so, where—the mind? The
physical world
and all living beings are created by the mind. As we are the
results of our
past actions, so is the world we live in. Since there are places
on earth
that are like heaven, those areas where so much virtue has settled
that people
travel great distances to see such wonderful locations.
Conversely, the
hellish regions are dense accumulations of non-virtue and evil
thrives there,
keeping people captive to the negative states of consciousness. </p>
<p> To become a Bodhisattva is to be fearless. There is no
aversion for
those who are hostile and there is no obsessive clinging to those
who are
closest to us. There is no possessiveness, only love, compassion
and discernment
into the nature of reality. </p>
<p> Santideva, the 8th century Bodhisattva wrote a book
entitled 'Bodhisattvacharyavatara,'
which is one of the most important texts that students of Tibetan
Buddhism
study. The title has been translated into 'A Guide to the
Bodhisattva Way
of Life' and is written in verse form. While there are only 10
chapters,
dealing with the 6 perfections as well as developing the spirit of
awakening,
in chapter 10, verse 55 the entire essence of the meaning of
Bodhisattva
is beautifully expressed: </p>
<p>“For as long as space endures </p>
<p>And for as long as living beings remain, </p>
<p>Until then may I too abide </p>
<p>To dispel the misery of the world.” </p>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:rixpost...@aol.com";>rixpost...@aol.com</a> wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite="midd0d.58274625.377e6...@aol.com">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; ">
<meta content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16851" name="GENERATOR">
<font id="role_document" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2">
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div> I think Tom Martin is an Enlightened human
being...possibly a Bodihsattva.
On some days, I find more wisdom and knowledge in his writings
(or, ramblings
if you prefer) than in all other posts on MoPo combined.</div>
<div>Who knows---possibly The Buddha is among us disguised as a
movie poster
collector named Tom. You may think I'm joking, but stranger things
have
happened on this planet. Keep posting, Tom. Maybe wherever
you "are" is
actually something to strive for, not to ridicule.</div>
</font>
<div class="aol_ad_footer"
id="b100fa2a65941855971be4e43813dc1e"><br>
<font
style="color: black; font-family: arial,san-serif; font-style:
normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;
line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;">
<hr style="margin-top: 10px;">It's raining cats and dogs -- Come
to <a
href="http://www.pawnation.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000008";>PawNation</
a>, a
place where pets rule!</font></div>
<center>Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at <a class="moz-txt-
link-abbreviated" href="http://www.filmfan.com";>www.filmfan.com</
a></center>
<center>______________________________________________________________
_____</center>
<center>How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List</center>
<center></center>
<center>Send a message addressed to: <a class="moz-txt-link-
abbreviated"
href="mailto:lists...@listserv.american.edu";>lists...@listserv.america
n.edu</a></center>
<center>In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L</center>
<center></center>
<center>The author of this message is solely responsible for its
content.</center>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>
--------------030806040706050902070009--
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
