Re: Illumination and reincarnation

• In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, Greg <Greg@...> wrote: >
  > I still think that a fully enlightened being would not reincarnate.
  > Unless, of course, one is a bodhisattva.
  > However, the bodhisattva idea always seemed a little strange to me. In
  > such a person who is entirely enlightened does NOT transcend, in order
  > to bring enlightenment to the rest of the suffering world. This is seen
  > as an act of great compassion.
  > But compassion, as much as anger or desire, is an emotion that one
  ought
  > to have transcended.
  > Thus a bodhisattva is a "failed mystic" as much as Sheng Seleris is.
  The
  > only difference is that Sheng does it for selfish reasons, and a
  > bodhisattva for selfless ones. But both fail to transcend...
  

Kevin already answered this very well. I don't know if this is a false rationalization, but I always thought that the main reason for the bodhisattva to delay transcendence is that one person's liberation doesn't matter in the larger picture. True liberation occurs first when everyone has transcended.

Also, does the bodhisattva really fail, or just postpone transcendece?             Received on Thu 07 Jun 2007 - 03:35:28 EEST