Page 282

Alexandr Korol
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Page 282

Post by Alexandr Korol »

In early Buddhism, bodhi was a concept close to that of “nirvana” (“peace,” literally: “extinguishing,” Sanskrit); they differed only in their verbal descriptions and, importantly, in the emphasis placed within each concept.
The term “bodhi” implied “completeness of knowledge” and the extinguishing of greed (raga), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha).
Later, in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, nirvana came to mean only the extinguishing of greed and hatred, while the overcoming of delusions led to the attainment of bodhi (complete understanding and tranquility). Therefore, in Mahayana Buddhism, an arhat who had only reached nirvana was still subject to delusions, whereas a bodhisattva not only attained nirvana but also became completely free from all illusions. Thus, the one who attained bodhi became a buddha.
In Theravāda Buddhism, bodhi and nirvana have similar meanings, both understood as liberation from greed, hatred, and delusion.
In the Theravāda tradition, bodhi is described as the state of awakening attained by Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni Buddha and some of his disciples; it is an exceptional, completely liberated yogic state of consciousness. Sometimes bodhi is described as “complete and perfect awareness of the true nature of existence.” A person who has attained bodhi is freed from the cycle of samsara: birth, suffering, and death.
The Sanskrit word bodhi is usually translated as “enlightenment” or “awakening.” The term is associated with the illumination and understanding (perfect wisdom) attained by the Buddha, and it is close in meaning to the concept of attaining holiness in Christian mysticism, which implies the merging of the human and the Divine within the individual.” This merging of the human and the divine reminds me, in the Christian religion, in Christianity, of the concept of theosis — it’s also quite similar. But we’ll return to that later. “Although the image of light is widespread in many sacred Buddhist texts, etymologically the terms ‘bodhi’ and ‘light’ are not related. More precisely, bodhi means ‘awakening.’ Bodhi is awakening from sleep and the realization of actual reality.” You see? Bodhi is awakening from sleep and the realization of actual reality. This is exactly what I reflected on deeply in the third volume of “Alternative