Practice question

[catmoon]

In my current reading, HHDL has laid out a seven-point preliminary to meditation that begind with

"Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Bodhisattvas".


I was expecting "Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha and the myriad Buddhas" or something like that.

So who are the Bodhisattvas HHDL is referring to, and why have they displaced the Buddhas?

[BFS]

In the seven step preliminary in How to Practice a Meaningful Way to Life
By His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

Context on Homage: (pg 97)

Put your palms together, and feel intensely that you are respectfully taking refuge in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Say out loud: "Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. "

In my experience His Holiness always includes all Buddhas somewhere in his sections on "Homage" - they are never displaced.

However, I am sure that if anyone feels that their own "feeling intensely that you are talking refuge in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas" (as HHDL teaches) is not powerful and intense enough, saying it out loud may help - anyone can tweek it, saying it out loud may help to get to "feel intensely that one is taking refuge in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas"

[mudra]

These eventually include all Bodhisattvas, just as the Buddha of our time is representative of all Buddhas. But the Buddha Shakyamuni is particularly important to us because:
a. He is from our era
b.He taught extensively (84,000 categories of dharma) including tantra. Not all Buddhas teach.

[catmoon]

In the seven step preliminary in How to Practice a Meaningful Way to Life
By His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

Haha we are working out of the same book.

It seemed to me that the intent of the passage was kind of confusing. So I take it it in Gelug usage, the term Bodhisattva is not interchangeable with the term Buddha?

Anyhow I find the seven point practice quite wonderful. So far it's the only thing in the entire book I can do without constantly referring to the text.