Bhikkhu Bodhi

Question: Besides the Path of Liberation, Theravada Buddhism also teaches about the Path of Bodhisattva. According to your study, what are the differences between the ideas of the Path of Bodhisattva as taught in Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism? What are their respective flavors? Which informs your choice of practice, and why?    BB: In the oldest texts of Early Buddhism, nothing is said about a distinct bodhisattva path. In those texts, the goal the Buddha holds up for his disciples is arahantship. The idea of a distinct bodhisattva path emerged gradually, still in the pre-Mahayana period, and apparently gained in popularity until a form of Buddhism took shape that revolved entirely around the bodhisattva ideal and the path a bodhisattva had to travel to attain buddhahood. This is the form of Buddhism we know as the Mahayana.    Since even the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism recognize that the Buddha attained buddhahood by following a course different in many respects from that culminating in arahantship, the ancient Theravada teachers also came to describe a distinct bodhisattva path, drawing on the Jatakas and the narrative literature of the tradition to flesh out the practices an aspirant had to fulfill to become a Buddha. The Theravada commentaries even borrow material from the Mahayana treatises, particularly the Bodhisattva Bhumi, which is part of the vast Yogacara Bhumi Shastra.   In their general outline, the pictures of the bodhisattva path in the classical Indian Mahayana and in the Theravada commentaries are not very different. For both, a bodhisattva embarks on the way to buddhahood by making a powerful aspiration (called bodhicitta in Mahayana and maha-abhinihara in the Pali sources), formulating vows, and practicing the paramitas. The latter largely overlap in the two traditions, though there are some differences. A major distinction between the two traditions is that the Mahayana focuses almos

Qestions: The power of vow constitutes an important element in Mahayana Buddhist teaching. Is there any similar teaching in Theravada Buddhism? What is your interpretation about the idea of the power of vow?   Bhikkhu Bodhi, BB: In the canonical texts of Early Buddhism, very little is sai

Qestions: Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, you're an eminent Theravada Buddhist monk who has abundant knowledge in Chinese Buddhism. You are also currently the president of the Buddhist Association of the United States. In your opinion, how can these two traditions (Theravada Buddhism and Chine