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Vedun* · 01-29-2012, 07:48 PM

How can one' help all sentient beings' if one still has delusion and emotional obscurations oneself? (nirvana and enlightenment are also the same thing)

Aloka,

The question you ask here comes up often in Mahayana discussions and the answer generally is that you can't. In order to fulfil the bodhisattva vows, one has to cut through delusion and emotional obscurations. The Mahayana POV could be better described as "the aspiration to gain enlightenment for the sake of liberating all sentient beings".

The bodhisattva is considered to have achieved this, except for "one shred of affliction" -- namely, the attachment to liberating sentient beings.

People who enter the Mahayana path sometimes get overly enamoured with the idea of themselves as liberators/saviors, but in reality a great deal of difficult work is required, much of it having to do with one's own afflictions. I'm sure you know all this from your years in Vajrayana practice -- I'm just calling attention to it since it is a frequent source of confusion.

01-29-2012, 07:48 PM	#13
Vedun* Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 461 Senior Member	How can one' help all sentient beings' if one still has delusion and emotional obscurations oneself? (nirvana and enlightenment are also the same thing) Aloka, The question you ask here comes up often in Mahayana discussions and the answer generally is that you can't. In order to fulfil the bodhisattva vows, one has to cut through delusion and emotional obscurations. The Mahayana POV could be better described as "the aspiration to gain enlightenment for the sake of liberating all sentient beings". The bodhisattva is considered to have achieved this, except for "one shred of affliction" -- namely, the attachment to liberating sentient beings. People who enter the Mahayana path sometimes get overly enamoured with the idea of themselves as liberators/saviors, but in reality a great deal of difficult work is required, much of it having to do with one's own afflictions. I'm sure you know all this from your years in Vajrayana practice -- I'm just calling attention to it since it is a frequent source of confusion.
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