_Z_ said:
ah i think you have the basis of my inquiry! Someone once said to me that bodhisattvas are kind of an equivelant to christian saints. I was wondering why these are 'higher' not in strictly hierarchical terms, just generally – just out of interest and for comparative purposes i.e. Comparing what one religion considers higher and another lower.
I'd say that the Christian Saints equate more to the arhats (arahants, arhans, lohans, rahats - all roughly equivalent). There is a tendency in exoteric traditions to equate
any advanced disciple (bhikku, practitioner) with a certain degree of
arhatship, just as the Christian saints can be greater or lesser accomplished (and who decides, after all?).
Technically, an arhat refers to a
very advanced individual ... who in some traditions (esoteric Buddhism, among others) is no longer `human' at all, having already won the "right" to a
Nirvana of varying duration (or
intensity). The `Bodhisattva,' even in exoteric Buddhism, is a being
equally capable, or accomplished, as the Christ of Christianity. In esoteric terms, they can be identical. Still, there are a number of beings of Bodhisattva
equivalent, having attained that degree of spiritual realization, who are obviously
not identical with the Christ of Christianity.
The
Buddha, whether Shakyamuni, Dipankara, Kashyapa, or other, is technically regarded as a degree of attainment
beyond Bodhisattava , even in exoteric Buddhism - this being
explicitly the case in esoteric teachings.
If one were to render all this in terms of the Path of Initiation (taught in Esoteric, or Tantric Buddhism, just as in Hinduism), an arhat would be a 4th degree Initiate, a "realized Master" would be a 5th (
Asekha Adept), a Bodhisattva would be a 7th, and a Buddha an Initiate of either the 8th or 9th degree.
By comparison, the bhikkus and disciples of Shakyamuni ranged from the Srota-apanna ("Stream-Entrant"), or 1st degree initiate, to the arhat, or 4th degree Initiate, although collectively these were often simply called,
`the Buddha and His arhats.' Legend has it that He brought ~900 individuals to the stage of arhatship (esoterically considered), although I do not know if this meant in his own lifetime, or was more a reference to the direct impact of his spiritual stimulation over time. Maitreya-Buddha, the next, identical with the
Christ of Christianity esoterically, is prophesied to one day bring
9,000 arhats to the Path of Liberation ... but do not ask me for a reference.
Thus have I heard ...
So, Christianity's `saints' seem more or less equivalent to the ranges of
Buddhist arhats exoterically considered - although only Jesus of Nazareth and St. Paul spring to my mind as individuals who definitely attained arhatship
in that lifetime, esoterically. Undoubtedly, several additional individuals have so attained in the 21 centuries since Jesus' lifetime. As a matter into which I believe I have some insight, I would suggest that of the original 12 Apostles (and a good handful of others who received directly the `Inner Teachings') ...
not all have approached arhatship (esoterically),
some not even close.
By no means exegetical, I have attempted to at least make a few comparisons, and point out where exoteric and esoteric indications differ.
Prophets in the
esoteric traditions, btw, can range from advanced disciples (not initiates at all), to the
Stream-entrants of Buddhism, to the Advanced Initiates who have given out the Teachings of the past one and a half centuries. These latter, as I have encountered them, are generally termed `
Messengers.' Often, since they do much more than simply parrot out the lessons that have been given, but also
live them and Teach them to their followers ... they are also called `Teachers,' and this term has been used to refer to arhats, in my experience.
Namaskar,
taijasi
