[Buddha-l] Hope

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Eric,

> There's
> the intent to do what you want to do and there's the trust that
> everthing is going to fine in the end.

> I'm not sure what to think of the bodhisattva vow to rescue countless
> beings, is this acting while letting go of all hope?

In the "practice of Buddhism" there is the trust that by doing so, one
will get rid of suffering and obtain lots of goodies for the more
imaginative ones. There is the trust that jhana, samdahi, nirvana,
emptiness etc. are good things which one can trust.

The bodhisattva vow is a skilfull means. It's what the French call a
"fuite en avant". It draws the attention away from the fact that
samsara is endless. Instead of becoming desperate, by taking the task
too literally, or passively feeling like a victim, one takes a more
proactive approach and one takes the resolution to remain in samsara
as long as there are sentient beings to rescue. Samsara is still
endless, but the outlook has changed.

Joy