Reply To: Y2Q13) Simile of the peacock (1)

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Home Forums Discussion topics In-Depth Meditation Training (EN) Y2Q13) Simile of the peacock (1) Reply To: Y2Q13) Simile of the peacock (1)

#3000
Rik vanKeulen
Keymaster

Indeed, the peacock is a simile for a bodhisattva. This peacock does not go for the juicy plants, but for the poisonous plants. In other words: the bodhisattva does not follow his or her desire (self-cherishing, based on grasping of an inherent existing self) but happily faces hardships as a way to train cherishing others (based on personhood). Happily in the sense of knowing this needs to be done, this is my bodhisattva training. Without hardships there will be little training. Hardships as in dealing with difficult situations or people who mistreat you. But also hardship in undertaking extra effort to help beings and thereby overcoming laziness or attachment to one’s objects which one doesn’t want to give a away. The training in cherishing others is one of the key differences between the path towards arhatship and the path to bodhisattva/buddhahood.