The concept of Mahāyāna Bodhisattva and altruism in Buddhism

Abstract

In MahAyAna Buddhism, it has their own an ideal that is Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is the term for anyone who motivated by great compassion, has generated Bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood, for the welfare of other beings. Today’s world have to face countless issues which are, due to the egoistic behavior of human beings, in the western , such egoistic behaviors are classified as psychological egoism, normative egoism, rational egoism, and ethical egoism etc. Buddhist altruist enables not only to helpers to accomplish personal growth, conclusively, self-benefiting altruism that is motived by the enlightened mind and four immeasurable but also western egoism philosophy as effective method to get rid of egoism. In the MahAyAna Buddhism, it asserts that helping other people is the practice of the bodhisattva spirit in modern society. However, the altruistic views of Bodhisattva is unthinkable; it says, in the 3rd chapter of BodhicAryavAtAra of Santideva that, Bodhisattva is like the earth, the elements, and the space itself to support the lives of boundless beings, by providing all that they might need. Here, the present article is an attempt to not only indicate the practicability of bodhisattva spirit, but also inspire civic participants how to encourage social integration that constructs, sustains an inclusive society and how to get rid of the egoism with the help of the 3rd chapter of BodhicarAyvatAra by SAntideva, SinglovAda Sutta of DN, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta of SN, and Attahita parahita Sutta of AN etc. And it explores briefly the significance and contribution of altruistic behavior.