Introduction
The goal of this commentary is to follow the example of St. Thomas Aquinas who wrote commentaries on Aristotle. There is a dearth of Catholic commentary on Indian, especially Buddhist, philosophical treatises that have sought to create an authentic synthesis of what is true, good, and holy, in these texts. It also means commenting on and/or challenging what seems to contradict natural reason or Catholic faith. I do not intend here to create any sort of syncretism, though I know that attempting the work, alone, will make me subject to this criticism.
Instead, my intention is to use Natural Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Sacred Tradition as the interpretive lens in this important philosophical work so as to always maintain unity with Catholic faith and morals. If and when I may write something that doesn’t do this well I will always be obedient to my legitimate superiors, namely, my Bishop, and the Pope and those who are entrusted with official Church teaching and doctrine. I also value the input of those who don’t have an official teaching office in the Church but nonetheless contribute to her theology, in particular in this area of study.
Why the Bodhicaryāvatāra?
In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions.
Nostra Aetate 1
The passage above was published in 1965 in a document of the Second Vatican Council called Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions.. It is beyond the scope of this commentary to analyze the significance and history of Nostra Aetate except to say that it is likely no accident that the Council Fathers found it to be fitting to make a declaration like this.
The passage above gives a sense of why it was fitting at this point in history: the encounter of different cultures became a living reality due to advances in modern technology (cars, trains, roads, air travel, imperialism, war, tourism). Though a different context, we know that when medieval theologians encountered Muslim culture dialogue and debate with Muslim philosophers was engaged and theologians were introduced to works of Ancient Greece that weren’t previously available. This allowed St. Thomas Aquinas, for instance, to create his synthesis of Aristotle in such works as the Summa Theologiae and the Summa Contra Gentiles, as well as his commentaries on Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Nicomachean Ethics.
Our own time has lent itself to a profound encounter with various Buddhist cultures, Theravada and Mahayana. This has led to an increasing number of Westerners, Jew and Gentile, Christian and otherwise, to ask questions about the wisdom contained in these traditions. Indeed many Westerners have converted to Buddhism, i.e. taken refuge in the 3 Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and become ordained teachers.
Furthermore, now we are also at a point where some practices of Buddhist origin have been mainstreamed like satipatthana (mindfulness). Practices like mindfulness that have become part of Western culture are somewhat divorced from their context as practices meant for a specific soteriological aim and are generally seen as helpful for overall well-being. There is some research to support this but there is also a growing body of literature reflecting the mindfulness is not the panacea people thought it was an in some cases even can cause harm. Also, though mindfulness practices have (somewhat) removed from their Buddhist context), they tend to reflect modern, liberal priorities.
Another issue that has come up in the encounter of Buddhist cultures is a syncretic approach to the adoption of Buddhist beliefs and practices, such that they are contradictory for a practicing Catholic. An example would be the belief in reincarnation and the doctrine of karma, meanwhile believing that Jesus is LORD and going to a Catholic church to receive Holy Communion. In an age where there is increasing religious and philosophical illiteracy it seems that people are more likely to adopt beliefs that are incompatible with the Catholic faith and not understand why. It is important to know why we believe what we believe and how Divine Revelation is distinctive from pre-Christian cultural traditions.
On the other hand, for a true synthesis to be created we need to not only be able to identify what beliefs and doctrines aren’t compatible with Catholic faith and morality but also to identify what is true, good, and holy, and to set this into relationship to the Gospel. This is done with a belief that both faith and reason help us individually and collectively ascend to the truth. How do we expect to evangelize Buddhists if we have yet to set what they believe in relationship to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
This essay seeks to do that by taking one of the most important pieces of Mahayana Buddhist literature and providing commentary on it from the perspective of the Catholic faith. This will be done in particular in reference to Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as other magisterial documents.
The Bodhicharyavatara: The Way of the Bodhisattva
Part 1: The Excellence of Bodhichitta
Homage to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
1. To those who go in bliss, the dharmakāya they possess, and all their heirs, To all those worthy of respect, I reverently bow. According to the scriptures, I shall now in brief describe the practice of the Bodhisattva discipline.
2. Here I shall say nothing that has not been said before, And in the art of prosody I have no skill. I therefore have no thought that this might be of benefit to others; I wrote it only to habituate my mind.
3. My faith will thus be strengthened for a little while, That I might grow accustomed to this virtuous way. But others who now chance upon my words May profit also, equal to myself in fortune.
4. So hard to find the ease and wealth Whereby the aims of beings may be gained. If now I fail to turn it to my profit, How could such a chance be mine again?
Śāntideva. The Way of the Bodhisattva. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.
The opening to the Bodhicharyavatara begins with an homage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The sensitive Catholic may already find himself offended… how can I read something that beings with an homage to beings we don’t believe in? However, it may be helpful to step back and first ask oneself most universally what is taking place here. It is certainly different than how a positivist or materialist would begin a piece of literature. Or, what about the nihilist, where the will to power is all that there is? No, this is something different. In the most universal sense it is a recognition, first of all, that there are deeper potentialities to man than is seen on the surface. A Buddha and/or Bodhisattva represent human beings who have gone far beyond in virtue what ordinary man aspires to. It points to a potential to awaken in a way that progressively liberates a person from suffering. For follows of the Buddha, a Buddha is a being that has reached final enlightenment and a Bodhisattva is a being who is dedicated to the liberation of all being prior to achieving final enlightenment.
Now, this can bring up immediate problems from a Catholic perspective.
First of all, Catholics have rejected the doctrine of reincarnation that is linked so closely to the Buddhist understanding of liberation. It is notable that most pre-Christian cultures and philosophies believed in a cyclical view of life, death, and rebirth. For instance, Plato wrote about the transmigration of soul. It is really only in monotheism where you see a strict rejection of this belief, based in Divine Revelation.
Another issue linked to this is the problem with the context of liberation for a Buddhist. From a Buddhist perspective, contingent reality is viewed as samsara. It is a negative outlook on what Catholics call Creation. In general, in Indian philosophy, the World is not viewed as created in the sense it is in monotheism but instead is viewed as illusory and a projection of karma. The goal is to get out of it, to be freed from all contingent reality.
Catholics aren’t trying to be liberated from contingent reality – they indeed realize they too are contingent. But instead, the path of awakening for a Catholic is to recognize Creation as a gift from God, including one’s own being, and to thank and praise the Creator for that. This doesn’t mean that Catholics are naive to the problem of suffering in the World, which they see at linked to man’s sinfulness, and it also doesn’t mean that Catholic philosophy doesn’t prioritize the transcendent eternal reality we call God, it does. Also, Catholic’s believe in the Kingdom of God, which is not of this World, but the important consideration is that the Catholic belief in resurrection and a future reality in communion with the Holy Trinity speaks to the fact of contingency being good and necessary for the existence of the human person. For us, being a creature is a good thing. It is sin that is bad.
The point isn’t to escape from one’s birth and life as the unique individual they are but instead to be saved from the condition of alienation from the Creator and from neighbor through faith in Christ. There is no sense in Catholicism of samsara or reincarnation, and it is believed that the rejection of these doctrines allows one a more accurate perception of the gift and reality of being.
Yet, it may not enough just to find points of disagreement to successfully proclaim the Gospel to Buddhists.
Honest dialogue requires being open to discovering what it is about the other that is good, holy, and right. We can say immediately that the major difference is that instead of a view of life where there is merely a material aim, i.e. satisfaction of the appetites and pleasure, and then death, what is offered here is view of the human person that affirms the reality that man has a transcendent telos. This is 100% correct from a Catholic perspective. The telos of man transcends him and even transcends the World. The opening of the Bodhiacharyavatara affirms that by praising those who would represent a transcendent orientation. So, one can see how this would be attractive to contemporary man who is immersed in a world of fleeting pleasures, the marketing of illusions and fantasies, and philosophers tell him that this is all there is.
There are, in a sense, specific virtues that are intrinsic to the path of a follower of the Buddha and someone who takes the vows of a Bodhisattva. What are these?
The best place to look initially, before getting further into the text is by recognizing the virtues that are cultivated through the 8-fold path. For context the 8-fold path is offered as a solution to the problem of evil and suffering and it pointed to in the 4th Nobel Truth. It may be helpful here to revisit what the 8-fold path is a made up of.
- Right view
- Right intention
- Right speech
- Right action
- Right livelihood
- Right effort
- Right mindfulness
- Right concentration
The application of the eightfold path is meant to lead to the cessation…
Stay tuned for the continuation of this commentary on the 8-fold path. I think it is important to understand in what ways it is different and in what ways it can lead to faith in Christ. Please comment if you have anything to add or you have questions. I will do my best to respond.