On 24 March, a public lecture on "The Bodhisattva Ideal in China: history and present" was given by Gediminas Giedraitis, a PhD student at the University of Eötvös-Loránd (Hungary) and a researcher on Chinese Buddhism. The lecture covered the establishment of Buddhism in China, the concept of bodhisattva, the basic concepts, as well as an overview of the fundamental texts of Mahayana Buddhism.
Buddhism arrived in China in the 1st century and flourished most strongly during the Tang dynasty (618-907). During this period, local Mahayana Buddhist practices such as Chan 禅 (chán), Tiantai 天台 (tiāntāi), etc. began to develop in China. Today, Mahayana Buddhism is the most widespread in China.
Bodhisattva, in Chinese 菩萨 (púsà), means awakening being. In early Buddhism, this term was used to refer to the Buddha before he attained enlightenment/awakening. Thus, his path in past lives and his practice to attain enlightenment is called the bodhisattva path. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who realises that he or she can be free from suffering, but chooses to remain in suffering and strive to become a Buddha in order to save all living beings. There are four main bodhisattvas in China: Guanyin 观音 (guānyīn), the bodhisattva of compassion; Dizang 地藏 (dìzàng), the bodhisattva of the saviour of souls condemned to hell; Wenshu 文殊 (wénshū), the bodhisattva of wisdom; and Puxian 普贤 (pǔxián), the bodhisattva of practice.
G. Giedraitis distinguished the main concepts of Mahayana Buddhism: Paramita 波罗蜜 (bōluómì) - perfection/mastery, also meaning one who has gone beyond. The Paramitas indicate the path and means to attain enlightenment. The origin 般若 (bōrě) is the most important paramita, signifying insight/wisdom and reflecting the seeing of the environment as wrongly perceived. Together with wisdom, there are six paramitas that make up the bodhisattva path: generosity, morality, forbearance, diligence, concentration and wisdom.
Generosity paramita is understood as giving material benefits and the Buddha's teaching. Giving material benefits is a choice of good action that results in a positive rebound. Giving the Buddha's teachings is striving to be a Buddha in order to help all living beings. Moral paramita is understood as the cultivation of good behaviour - morality, ethics. The paramita of forbearance embodies patience in walking and practising the long bodhisattva path. It is divided into three types: tolerance of personal pain, tolerance of pain inflicted by others and tolerance of reality. Diligence paramita is understood as diligence and courage in following the bodhisattva path, which is the main motivation for becoming a Buddha. The paramita of concentration refers to cultivation, meditation, stilling the mind and concentration on the path.