Human life is full of paradoxes, just like many things in the world. We learn from our own experiences in the school of life, although the fees sometimes end up being too high. In the end, we find that we’re able to understand ourselves, our families and partners so much better when we haven’t got that much time left. We have attained wisdom through our lifelong learning but the young ones seldom ask us anything of real importance (that could help change their lives).
A Bodhisattva is a person who has almost attained the full buddhahood (and could decide not to enter nirvana as his peaceful home, being forever free from samsara – the neverending cycle of rebirth and suffering). He has freed himself from all dependencies of life, but by his own conscious choice he retains one virtue: the Compassion (with those who have not yet found ways to free themselves and awaken). So he chooses to remain in the suffering within the material world to help all sentient beings to achieve their own buddhahood, only then to reach out for his own.
I have said this before but since I’m not being listened so I have to say it again: every woman is a goddess (for her man). Yes, such is the power you women hold over us men – but paradoxically, this is something you rarely, if ever find out. You can only become the goddess through your man’s admiration (and through your love and care for him and your family, for the others). You have to give (first) in order to receive. In order to achieve something you need to stop trying so hard to get it – just like a child that doesn’t focus his thinking on how he is happy, he just is. The key thing to learn is to break free from always wanting, trying, fighting for something and realize that we actually have all of it already. We can be happy by simply deciding that we will be – by our own conscious choice to be – and not by spending our lives chasing something we think will make us happy. Every cat or dog are naturally zen-like because they are their true selves (meaning, they’re not trying to be something else they’re not, unlike many of us) – and the mentioning the famous Mu koan in that respect is not just a coincidence. Yes, for a man, his woman is a true goddess in every sense of the word – she is the one to make the miracle of life to happen.
But – these are all but paradoxes: a woman who is desperately trying for a baby needs to stop trying hard so much – only when she relaxes, her body can be ready to receive and conceive. I give you an example – when you add a little pinch of salt to apples in your apple cake, they will release their natural sugars and you find you won’t need any extra sugar at all. The natural ability of every female to give birth is coded in her genome, and natural wisdom and genius in every man’s… as long as we don’t hinder or obstruct our natural gifts – and yes, paradoxically by logic. The big paradox is that we can only become truly wise (and respectful of life around us) when we learn to switch off the logical reasoning at all costs which so often clouds our understanding.
Every Awakened person (whether buddha or bodhisattva) is pictured sitting in full lotus… and often in sexual embrace with his consort. Today, through magnetic resonance scans we can scientifically prove that an orgasm is very similar to the extactic experiences experienced by people during spiritual events.
The mystics of old ages, including Buddha, but also the famous mathematician (and also musician) Pythagoras, as well as the first architect of Egyptian pyramids Imhotep, are just like a few of many people who spend their lifetime striving to understand themselves and life around them. Today we seem to have many problems trying to understanding ourselves. Unfortunately, we are born more damaged generation by generation. We have been living for over 2000 years in a society that glorifies and practices suffering in our daily lives (whether is us always feeling guilty for something or expecting punishment of some sort). In words of actor and improvisor Jarda Dusek: „How is it that the typical portrayal of Christ is always him being crucified on the cross? I thought the point of the story was his ressurection and him being raised to heaven. So why is his story being represented by the worst point of his life, and actually before his story reaches its true meaning?“
We seem to be unable to admit (to perceive) that our problem is in fact in the way we perceive things. An unanamed typically western person (who has attained his enlightenment) was asked what his problem was – to which he replied: too much happiness. Paradox. I remember vividly, when I resolved my entry level koans and and felt so pierced with happiness that I weeped over anything and everything I laid my eyes on – my biggest problem (and paradox) was actually hiding my tears: for us, it is very much a social norm that any „normal“ person does not cry in public and broad daylight (no matter whether tears are happy or sad – we impose on ourselves that we must try to hide our deepest feelings).
The Czech actor Rudolf Hrušínský has always been able to remain true to himself as a person, while portraying a specific figure in the play he acted in. Such is the way of Bodhisattva – he can be your gardener, or the perfect architect but most of the time he (or she) is the (extra-) ordinary person with the most humane feelings and approach to all in human life. He can be your teacher or your student but at all times (and especially for those who are in need) he is Bodhisattva. And I go a bit further; even the conscious (choice of) death of physical body symbolizes – or more appropriately – presents the opportunity of rebirth and awakening outside the material body (like a death means for caterpillar to transform into a life for butterfly). And I will say it again, as I have before because it matters to me that women understand I mean it in best of ways: only a woman who learns to forget her own needs and puts the needs of others before her own will become ultimately (and paradoxically) truly fulfilled and happy in herself.
To study the way of buddha means to study oneself. And to study oneself, means to forget oneself (again paradoxically, because the buddha path focuses on help to others). Similarly, one has to forget the programming of his own mind to be able to fully find himself and awaken: one has to lose to realize he has won.
German singer Wolfgang Saus has been scientifically investigating the multi-voice so called overtone singing – this extremely intuitive type of singing is, again paradoxically, sung by a single person. A woman being totally relaxed in moment of love making (or totally relaxed birth-giving) is not only the ultimate female but the goddess. She has the best chances of smooth and painfree childbirth if she forgets herself and and relax her body and mind, the same way a bodhisattva (or enlightened one) has to let his logical reasoning „die“ so that he acquires the Common Sense… and learn once again to be happy like the child he used to be, being naturally happy with his life, however this time consciously (by choice) and able to take on moments in life that might be standing in the way of his happiness.
As such understanding person he lives among his peers alone and is often misunderstood (nevermind recognized). And his life work becomes immortal only after his death. That´s what I call bodhisattva paradox.
