Meaning of Bodhisattva in Theravada

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On the Buddha day, we celebrate the three important events in the life of the Buddha: His birth, His enlightenment, and His passing away. His birth as prince Siddhattha took place 2625 years ago on the Full Moon Day of May. And then 35 years later, again on the Full Moon Day of May, he attained Buddhahood, and 45 years later on the Full Moon Day of May again, He passed away. So we celebrate these three important events in the life of the Buddha today. Before reaching Buddhahood or before becoming the Buddha, He was known as Bodhisatta. From the time He made the aspiration for Buddhahood in the presence of Dipankara Buddha until He attained Buddhahood, He was called Bodhisatta. What is Bodhisatta, how or what qualifications or qualities a Bodhisatta has to develop in order to become the Buddha and some other things to know about Bodhisatta?

First, the meaning of the word Bodhisatta. The word Bodhisatta is spelled with two t's. It is a Pali word. And in Sanskrit, it is spelled with 'tv' (t and v). So in Sanskrit is called Bodhisattva. The meaning is the same. And this word is defined in our commentaries in three different ways.

The first definition is that Bodhisatta is a person who has wisdom or who possesses wisdom, 'Bodhi' meaning wisdom and 'satta' meaning a being, so Bodhisatta literally translated is a 'wisdom being'. That means a Bodhisatta is always wise in whatever existence he was born. Sometimes Bodhisatta was born as an animal and many times as a human being. So wherever a Bodhisatta is born, he is always wise, he always possesses wisdom. So according to this definition, He is called the Bodhisatta.

According to the second definition, Bodhisatta means a person who is sure to become a Buddha, who is destined to become a Buddha. In this sense, 'Bodhi' means knowing or understanding or enlightenment – here enlightenment as a Buddha, and 'satta' means a being. So Bodhisatta means a being who is sure to become a Buddha or to reach enlightenment as a Buddha.

According to the third definition, Bodhisatta means a being who is attached to the penetration of the Four Noble Truths or who is attached to attainment of the Four Paths. That means just who is attached to enlightenment as a Buddha. In this definition, the word 'satta' means one who is attached to. So the one who is attached to Buddhahood is called a Bodhisatta. When a Bodhisatta makes an aspiration for Buddhahood, He is really attached to Buddhahood, He really wants to become a Buddha. So according to this definition also He is called a Bodhisatta, a being who is at-tached to enlightenment as a Buddha.

And in Theravada Buddhism, Bodhisatta is taken seriously. According to Theravada Teaching, it is not easy, it is really very difficult, to become a Bodhisatta. Career of a Bodhisatta begins with making an aspiration for Buddhahood. So a Bodhisatta is one who has made an aspiration for Buddhahood in the presence of a living Buddha and who has got the prediction that he will become a Buddha in the future and who is developing or accumulating the Paramitas, or the necessary qualities to become the Buddha.

To make the aspiration for Buddhahood and to get the prediction from a Buddha, a person has to possess eight qualities. The first is that he must be a human being, only as a human being can one make an aspiration for Buddhahood. If one is not a human, but a Deva or celestial being or Naga or celestial serpent and so on, then the aspiration does not succeed. So in order to make an aspiration for Buddhahood, one must be a human being. That is the first requirement.

The second requirement is that he must be a man, he must be of male sex. (Here I am sorry for the ladies. But I can't help.) He must be a human being and he must be a male to make an aspiration for Buddhahood and for the aspiration to succeed. But ladies, do not lose heart. First you try to reborn as a male and then when you are reborn as a male, you can make the aspiration.

Now the third requirement is that that person must have the potential to reach Arahantship in that life. So, a person who wants to aspire for Buddhahood must have the potential to become an Arahant in that life. But he will not become an Arahant because he aspires for Buddha hood and makes up his mind to go along the 'samsara' for many many aeons, many many world cycles. But he must have that potential to become an Arahant in that life.

The forth requirement is that he must see a living Buddha and make the aspiration in the presence of that living Buddha. Only then will his aspiration be successful. If he makes an aspiration in front of a pagoda, in front of a Buddha statue or in front of the Paccekabuddha (the separate, individual Buddha, pratyekabuddha), or in front of the disciple, then his aspiration will not be successful. So a person who wants to make an aspiration for Buddhahood must make it in the presence of a living
Buddha.

The fifth requirement is that at the time when he makes an aspiration, he must be a recluse, he must be a monk, he must be a hermit or he must be some religious person who believes in the law of Kamma, and who believes in the moral efficacy of Kamma. So if you do not believe in the law of Kamma, your aspiration will not succeed.

The sixth requirement is that that person must have obtained the eight attainments, eight Jhanas and five supernormal knowledges called Abhijna. That person must have eight attainments, eight JhИnas and five Abhinnas to aspire for Buddhahood. When a person is possessed of abhijnas, then that person can fly through the air, he can remember his past lives and he can read the minds of the others and so on. So a person who aspires for Buddhahood must have these qualities.

And the seventh requirement is that he must have a strong dedication. That means he must be ready to give up his own life for the sake of the Buddha, or he must be ready to give up his life and everything for the attainment of Buddhahood. So only when he has such strong devotion to Buddhahood can his aspiration succeed.

Eight requirement is he must have a very strong desire to become a Buddha. His desire must be so strong that he is ready to walk from end of the world to the other end filled with hot glowing charcoals or embers. Suppose, the world is covered with hot glowing charcoals, and then somebody who is trustworthy says to him, 'If you can walk form this end to the other end, you will become a Buddha,' he will do so. His desire is so strong that he will not flinch from walking through the glowing coals from one end of the world to the other.

Suppose a person who is endowed with these eight qualities makes an aspiration in the presence of a living Buddha; then the Buddha will look into the future and find out whether the person making the aspiration is fit to become a Buddha. And if He sees that that person is fit to become a Buddha, then He would make the proclamation: "This person who is making the aspiration here will become a Buddha like me in the far distant future. It is important for a person who makes the aspiration of Buddhahood to get the declaration or prediction form a living Buddha that he will become a Buddha in the distance future.

From the time he gets the declaration by a living Buddha, a person becomes a Bodhisatta. Or we can say that he becomes an 'official Bodhisatta' form that moment.

Then what must a Bodhisatta do? What qualities or perfections must he develop so that he is qualified to become a Buddha?

Now it is said that all Bodhisattas, after getting the prediction form a Buddha, tried to find out what he must fulfill. And it is said that to his mind the ten perfections or ten Paramitas come to him one by one. So without being told by anybody, he knows what he must fulfill. I think you are familiar with the Paramitas. There are ten of them taught in Theravada Buddhism and these ten Paramis or these ten perfections or these ten practices must be fulfilled to the utmost by a Bodhisatta. In order to bring to perfection the accumulation of the Paramita, a Bodhisatta needs a long long time, not just one life, not just a hundred, not just a thousand, but four 'incalculables' (asamkheya) and one hundred world cycles. One world cycle lasts for immeasurable years. So you can imagine how long it will take a Bodhisatta to fulfill to perfection these Paramitas. (One 'incalculable' is said to be as great as the number 1 followed by 140 zeros.)

There are three kinds of Bodhisattas. The first one is one whose wisdom is predominant and the second is one whose faith or Saddhu is predominant and the third is one whose effort or energy is predominant. For the third one whose effort or energy is predominant, it would take 16
incalculables and one hundred thousand world cycles. And for second one whose faith is predominant, it will take 8 incalculables and one hundred thousand world cycles. Only for the one whose wisdom is predominant, it will take 4 incalculables and one hundred thousand world cycles.

So if you want to aspire for Buddhahood, which Bodhisatta would you choose? The third or the first or the second?

For us, even the time required for the first type of Bodhisatta is far too long. But there was at least one person that I have heard of who aspired for Buddhahood as a third type. It is said that that person – he was a Sayadaw, he was a monk. It was said that he was dull in his memory; he could not memorize quickly. So in order to memorize just one verse, he had to repeat it for more than a hundred times. So he used a rosary and then he recited that verse once, and he push down the bead one and so on. So he had to use the whole one hundred and eight beads in order to get just one verse memorized. But he was very energetic, so he became a very learned Sayadaw. And he wrote many books and at the end of one book, he said: "As a result of writing this book for the benefit of other people, may I be-come a Buddha whose energy is predominant." So he was prepared to go this long long way to become the Buddha. He is very admirable.

When a Bodhisattva fulfills the Paramis, he fulfils them to the utmost. There are ten Paramitas and each one is divided into three levels, let's say ordinary level, intermediate level, and ultimate level. So all three levels he must fulfill. For example, the first of these Paramitas is Dana, giving. When a person gives what he possesses, his riches and his possessions and so on, this is the giving on ordinary level. But if he gives away his own limbs like a finger, like the eye, like ear, then it is called the intermediate level. And if he gives his own life for the benefit of others, then that level is called the ultimate level. So a Bodhisatta must be able and willing to give up his life for the benefit of others. That is why to fulfill the Paramitas of a Bodhisatta is very very difficult. We cannot even fulfill the first level; we cannot give up everything we possess to other people. When we give, we may give some but not all we possess because we have to look at our own survival.

But Bodhisattas are not like this; it is said that when Bodhisattas give, they give away like turning the water pot upside down so no water remains in the pot. So Bodhisattvas fulfill their Paramitas like that. That is why they become Buddhas.