Mi'sen

On one reading of the Bodhisatva ideal, the extinction of sentient life on the planet is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.

Is there any reading of the Bodhisatva ideal that does not logically imply that this is the goal?

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?

Well… that’s a quantitative question about a vague statement, so it’s hard to answer!

To start, there’s two possible interpretations, according to whether you count Buddhas as sentient beings.

“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, >

> all of whom would have departed for the inconceivable realm of Nirvana.

Alternatively, if you take Buddhism as a species of negative utilitarianism, according to which all that matters is how much suffering there is, then the best possible outcome (zero suffering) can most easily be achieved by altering the earth’s orbit so it spirals into the sun.