Bodhisattva

=== Bodhisattvas and Nirvana ===
[[Image:慈母観音菩薩 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Japanese statue of [[Guanyin|Kannon]] (Guanyin, a popular female form of Avalokiteshvara in East Asia)]]
[[File:Mural of Manjusri at Namdroling.jpg|thumb|Mural painting of [[Manjushri]] in tantric union with his consort, the bodhisattva [[Saraswati|Sarasvati]] (also considered to be a form of Tara)]]
Related to the different views on the different types of [[Yana (Buddhism)|''yanas'']] or vehicles is the question of a bodhisattva's relationship to [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvāṇa]]. In the various Mahāyāna texts, two theories can be discerned. One view is the idea that a bodhisattva must postpone their awakening until full Buddhahood is attained (at which point one ceases to be reborn, which is the classical view of [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvāṇa]]). This view is promoted in some sutras like the ''Pañcavimsatisahasrika-prajñaparamita-sutra.<ref name=":10">Williams, Paul, ''Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations,'' Routledge, 2008, pp. 59–60.</ref>'' The idea is also found in the ''[[Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra]]'', which mentions that bodhisattvas take the following vow: "I shall not enter into final nirvana before all beings have been liberated."<ref name=":3">Dayal 1970, p. 18.</ref> Likewise, the ''[[Shantideva|Śikṣāsamuccaya]]'' states "I must lead all beings to Liberation. I will stay here till the end, even for the sake of one living soul."<ref name=":3" />

The second theory is the idea that there are two kinds of [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvāṇa]], the nirvāṇa of an arhat and a superior type of nirvāṇa called [[Nirvana (Buddhism)#Apratiṣṭhita nirvāna|''apratiṣṭhita (''non-abiding)]] that allows a Buddha to remain engaged in the samsaric realms without being affected by them.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":16">Kawamura (ed) 1981, pp. 71-72</ref> This attainment was understood as a kind of [[Nonduality (spirituality)|non-dual]] state in which one is neither limited to samsara nor nirvana. A being who has reached this kind of nirvana is not restricted from manifesting in the samsaric realms, and yet they remain fully detached from the defilements found in these realms (and thus they can help others).<ref name=":16" />

This doctrine of non-abiding nirvana developed in the [[Yogachara|Yogacara]] school. As noted by Paul Williams, the idea of ''apratiṣṭhita nirvāṇa'' may have taken some time to develop and is not obvious in some of the early Mahāyāna literature, therefore while earlier sutras may sometimes speak of "postponement", later texts saw no need to postpone the "superior" ''apratiṣṭhita nirvāṇa''.<ref name=":10" />

In this Yogacara model, the bodhisattva definitely rejects and avoids the liberation of the ''śravaka'' and ''pratyekabuddha'', described in Mahāyāna literature as either inferior or "[[Hinayana|''hina'']]" (as in [[Asaṅga]]'s fourth century ''[[Yogācārabhūmi]]'') or as ultimately false or illusory (as in the ''Lotus Sūtra'').<ref>"bodhisattva" In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013), 135.</ref> That a bodhisattva has the option to pursue such a lesser path, but instead chooses the long path towards Buddhahood is one of the five criteria for one to be considered a bodhisattva. The other four are: being human, being a man, making a vow to become a Buddha in the presence of a previous Buddha, and receiving a prophecy from that Buddha.

Over time, a more varied analysis of bodhisattva careers developed focused on one's motivation. This can be seen in the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] teaching on three types of motivation for generating bodhicitta. According to [[Patrul Rinpoche]]'s 19th century ''Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (''Kun bzang bla ma'i gzhal lung''), a bodhisattva might be motivated in one of three ways. They are:<ref name=":6" />

# King-like bodhicitta – To aspire to become a Buddha first in order to then help sentient beings.
# Boatman-like bodhicitta – To aspire to become a Buddha at the same time as other sentient beings.
# Shepherd-like bodhicitta – To aspire to become a Buddha only after all other sentient beings have done so.

These three are not types of people, but rather types of motivation. According to Patrul Rinpoche, the third quality of intention is most noble though the mode by which Buddhahood occurs is the first; that is, it is only possible to teach others the path to enlightenment once one has attained enlightenment oneself.<ref name=":6">''Words of My Perfect Teacher: A Complete Translation of A Classic Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.'' Translated by The Padmakara Translation Group. (Walnut Creek: Altamira, 1994), 218.</ref>