Hi JMJM My understanding of Bodhisattva over the years from Deshimaru-sensei's teachings was that this was(and is) the human level. It's not a priestly life but holy nevertheless, and a life led amongst other fellow mortals. One lives amongst both the clean and corrupt Compassion...well...compassion is perhaps that very thing that will always be a source of distance between myself and many Zen followers I come across face-to-face or online. To me personally, nature had always had its ugly side, as well as its beauty. Dualistically-speaking, Zen and nature are one and the same. What happens in the rainforest is not always pretty, and nor is it in the daily processes of our modern human civilization In my reading of the Bodhisattva's Vow, I came across... ...'our ancestors gave tender care to beasts and birds with compassionate minds and hearts'... ..'we can be sympathetic and affectionate with foolish people, particularly with someone who becomes a sworn enemy and persecutes us with abusive language'.... It's unfortunate but the first above concerning birds and beasts is very good fuel for those with a vegetarian, or vegan agenda. As for the next one below, things can get a little confused. I think we have to ask ourselves how much sympathy, affection, foolishness, and so forth are enough, or not enough. Many sworn Buddhists I've come across also blow the bugle on that famous Semite belief....'thou shalt not kill'...and to them I asked,"Then how am I to protect myself and my loved ones?" They say one does right so things don't fly that way, and I say that humans being humans, nothing is ever guaranteed I'm sure there are more than a few peace-loving Buddhists out there who would rather die than raise a hand of anger, and in a way I understand where they're coming from, because death brings about a return to Buddha itself, although not in the Semitic sense nor in the sense that Lao, Thai, and others around the Mekong River do(But they believe such, and that's fine and that's what works for them) Buddha be praised Mel
