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Question
Hi Justin,
I was wondering if you could eliminate some confusion I have on the Bodhisattva Vows. I read that the essence of the ?main? vow is "to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all Sentient beings" and then I read about the 18 root vows and the 48 lesser vows and the 5 precepts and the 8 precepts and the 10 precepts. Whew! Can you sort them all out for me? If one strives to be a Bodhisattva in the Theravadan way, what exactly does one need to do?
Hi Lily,
Thank you for asking me.
Don't worry too much about your confusion. It is indeed very confusing.
To reduce this confusion, you need to differentiate between Theravada and Mahayana concepts of "Bodhisatta". In Theravada (which I follow) "Bodhisatta" simply means "Buddha-to-be". So there is no more confusion in my case.
In Theravada tradition, a person has to be "confirmed" in person by a Buddha in order to proceed towards this goal. And in the process he has to perfect the 10 paramis (perfections). For a more detailed info please refer here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramis
Take care.
Justin Choo
[I like to invite you to visit my blog:]
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
[And these sites by Rev. Dhammika:]
http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/
http://www.buddhismatoz.com/
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Answers by Expert:
Justin Choo
Expertise
When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.
Experience
I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
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