On one reading of the Bodhisatva ideal, the extinction of sentient life on the planet is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.
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Replying to @Jayarava
Is there any reading of the Bodhisatva ideal that does not logically imply that this is the goal?
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Replying to @Meaningness @Jayarava
Do you think it reasonable to extend that reading of the Bodhisattva ideal to most of what gets taught in the common brands of exoteric Vajrayana?
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Well… that’s a quantitative question about a vague statement, so it’s hard to answer!
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To start, there’s two possible interpretations, according to whether you count Buddhas as sentient beings.
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“Saving” in Buddhism means “enabling a sentient being to become a Buddha, who is not a sentient being.” So “I vow to save them all” should result in extinction of sentient beings by way of all six realms being exhausted of transmigrating non-Buddhas, >
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It's not "save" it's "liberate". That is the correct translation. The vow was originally translated by judeo-christian translators so they used word "save". "I vow to liberate them all"
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Interestingly, in Mahayoga (a branch of Vajrayana), “liberate” is a equated with “kill.”
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to kill what?
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Well, just generically. Whatever you are “liberating.” This is one of the “twilight language” equivalences.
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