Ceremony for Generating Bodhicitta and Vows

[heart]

I think HHDL confers the Athisa stream of bodhisattva vows, there’s an Asanga one also..

If memory serves.

There’s no difference in the vows, just the order of its conference.
I think one maintains refuge before bodhisattva vows, the other is makes no difference.
Something along those lines.

Which is which?

https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?tit ... sattva_vow

/magnus

[Danny]

Right so the flow into Kadam would be through Nagarjuna, atisha and into Dromtön. ( I believe )

Something like that.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reting_Monastery

[jmlee369]

I think HHDL confers the Athisa stream of bodhisattva vows, there’s an Asanga one also..

If memory serves.

There’s no difference in the vows, just the order of its conference.
I think one maintains refuge before bodhisattva vows, the other is makes no difference.
Something along those lines.

Which is which?

It is worth noting Gelugpas (following Tsongkhapa) do not consider there to be separate streams of bodhisattva vow lineages coming from Asanga and Nagarjuna, so when His Holiness confers the vows he is not giving them from one stream or another.

[Jackmorton94]

Hi Hazel,

I’m sorry but the answers you have been given are incorrect.

I did some research about this as His Holiness The Dalai Lama is giving a Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye) tomorrow.

Please read this from Study Buddhism -https://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-bu ... ith-advice

From the above article - (The Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye)) is a ritual for confirming our aspiring state of bodhichitta, and specifically, the pledged aspiring state that, “I’m never going to turn back.”

“The engaged engaged state of relative bodhichitta is when we actually take the bodhisattva vows”.

“Atisha is speaking here about a ritual for developing this aspiring bodhichitta.”

From Thubten Chodron - https://thubtenchodron.org/1993/06/gene ... ning-mind/


“When Gen Lamrimpa was here last time he was explaining that when His Holiness gives the bodhicitta, he gives it in different ways. He gives aspiring bodhicitta and then engaged bodhicitta. There are two different types of aspiring bodhicitta. There’s aspiring bodhicitta without precepts, which is “mere aspiring bodhicitta,” and there’s aspiring bodhicitta with a precept, which is “special aspiring bodhicitta.” Following the two types of aspiring bodhicitta, one undertakes the engaged bodhicitta.”

There are four actions to be practiced and four to be abandoned with the Aspiring Bodhicitta with a precept. These are listed in Alexander Berzin’s Study Buddhism article and Thubten Chodron’s article.

From Iluminating the Path to Enlightenment , His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama (https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapt ... bodhicitta)
“Although you have not taken a formal pledge, since you have generated bodhicitta here today, it would be helpful to ensure that your practice of bodhicitta does not degenerate.”

The Bodhisattva vows are a different ceremony from the Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye) which is pledged Aspiring Bodhicitta and the Bodhisattva vows are engaged Bodhicitta.

I thought it would be beneficial to let you know Hazel so you can take the Bodhisattva vows in the future.

Thank you,
Jack

[jmlee369]

Hi Hazel,

I’m sorry but the answers you have been given are incorrect.

I did some research about this as His Holiness The Dalai Lama is giving a Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye) tomorrow.

[...]

The Bodhisattva vows are a different ceremony from the Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye) which is pledged Aspiring Bodhicitta and the Bodhisattva vows are engaged Bodhicitta.

I thought it would be beneficial to let you know Hazel so you can take the Bodhisattva vows in the future.

Thank you,
Jack

With all due respect Jack, I am quite certain His Holiness is conferring the bodhisattva vows during most (I can't say all since he can do it a bit differently each time, case in point during this recent Chotrul Duchen ceremony he conducted it on the basis of just the usual Mahayana refuge verse) of these transmissions. You can hear during last year's Chotrul Duchen semkye ceremony here that His Holiness says the bodhisattva vows (བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྡོམ་པ་) have been conferred, and the ritual he conducted was the recitation of these verses:

I seek refuge in the Three Jewels;
Each and every wrongdoing I confess.
I rejoice in the virtues of all beings.
I take to heart the state of Buddhahood.

I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly,
In order to fulfil the aims of myself and others
I develop the awakening mind.

Having developed the aspiration for highest enlightenment,
I invite all sentient beings as my guests,
I shall enact the delightful supreme enlightening practices.
May I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings.

These verses are the standard short method for conferring the (18 root and 46 branch) bodhisattva vows. As I mentioned in my previous post, I also heard His Holiness reciting quickly the 18 root vows after conducting this ceremony on one occasion (which the English interpreter missed, but I heard in Tibetan and also confirmed by listening to other language interpreters) although I cannot find that particular video at the moment.

As for the four actions to be adopted and abandoned in your sources, I think the term "aspiring Bodhicitta with a precept" may be a mistranslation as these are trainings, not precepts. Berzin's term "pledged aspiring state" I think is better.