THE IDEAL OF COMPASSION AND ITS MEANING IN TRADITION OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

V diplomskem delu raziskujemo zgodovinski pojav in razvoj ideala sočutja, ki se je pojavil v mahajanskem budizmu. Sočutje predstavlja verujočim osrednjo vrlino, ki jo razvijajo v sebi vsi, zaobljubljeni poti sočutja in poti bodhisattev. V mahajanski tradiciji so bodhisattve bitja, razvijajoča v sebi neskončno sočutje ter modrost le za to, da ju lahko uporabijo za pomoč vsem trpečim bitjem. V svojem razdajanju gredo celo tako daleč, da zavrnejo vrhunec, nirvano samo zato, da bi lahko še naprej pomagali, dokler ne bo tudi poslednje trpeče bitje, človek ali žival, rešeno. Mahajanski budizem predstavlja nadaljnji tok razvoja po življenju Sidharte Gautame Sakjanskega - zgodovinskega Bude, utemeljitelja prvotnega budizma. Z namenom iskanja in prikaza posrednih povezav z okoliščinami kasnejšega razvoja, je obravnavan začetek budizma, Budovo življenje in njegove okoliščine, ki so prispevale k nastanku tega, kar danes pojmujemo kot prvine budističnega nauka. Prav tako je nakazan razvoj budizma po Budovi smrti za področje obravnave diplomskega dela pomemben, saj sta se šele znotraj tega časovnega obdobja kot ideal oblikovala sočutje in lik bodhisattev. Oboje je obravnavano in predstavljeno skozi izkušnje poznavalcev budizma, ne le kot koncept, ampak tudi kot značilnosti tistih, ki se čutijo poklicani slediti temu idealu. Stopijo na pot bodhisattev, ki jim predstavlja tako pot razvoja, kot pot, na kateri pozabijo nase in živijo le za pomoč drugim. Zaradi širšega razumevanja smo predstavili temeljne koncepte, za katere ocenjujemo, da so nujno potrebna razlaga kompleksne budistične filozofije, ki tradicijo uokvirja. Na ta način smo se dotaknili razlage zgolj navidez preprostih stvari kot so srečnost in preprostost budistov, osredotočenost na »tukaj«, »sedaj« ter zavedanja sobivanja vsega, kar je. Da bi kulturno oddaljeno religijo boljšega razumeli, smo jo primerjali še z znanimi kot sta krščanska in stoiška tradicija.This diploma thesis explores the emergence and development of the ideal of compassion, which appeared in Mahayana Buddhism. Believers consider compassion a central virtue that is cultivated within all those vowed to the path of compassion and the path of bodhisattvas. In Mahayana tradition, bodhisattvas are beings who cultivate endless compassion and wisdom within themselves for the sole reason of using them to help all sentient beings. In their renouncement, they even go so far as to refuse the complete enlightenment, nirvana, in order to continue striving towards the final goal of liberating the very last sentient being. Mahayana Buddhism is said to represent subsequent flow of development following the life of Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni – the historical Buddha, the founder of the original Buddhism. In the interest of seeking and presenting the implied connections to the later development occurrences, early stages of Buddhism, Buddha’s life and his circumstances that have contributed to the creation of what today are considered the primary Buddhist teachings, are dealt with. Being important for the clarity of the thesis’ concept, the development of Buddhism following Buddha’s death is illustrated as well, since this is the time frame in which compassion and the image of bodhisattvas emerged to form the ideal. Both are discussed and presented through the experience of experts on Buddhism, not merely as a concept, but also as the characteristics of those who feel called to follow this ideal. They embark the path of bodhisattvas, which for them represents the path of self- realization on one hand, and the path on which they put their wellbeing aside and live only to help others on the other. Intending to enable broader understanding, the basic concepts which we believe are an essential interpretation of complex Buddhist tradition and give it its frame, have been presented in the thesis. Seemingly uncomplicated concepts, such as happiness and modesty of the Buddhists, the focus on “here”, “now” and the coexistence of everything there is, have thus also been explained. In order to ensure a better understanding of the culturally distant religion, it has been compared with the more familiar ones, such as Christianity and the Stoic tradition