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TO THAT ASSEMBLY AND SAT DOWN.
One of the great disciples of Buddha is Subhuti. THEN HE ROSE FROM HIS SEAT, says Ananda -- and again he repeats the whole thing. Because Subhuti is also no ordinary man. He is almost a Buddha, just on the verge of it. Any moment he is going to become a Buddha. So Ananda repeats again:
THEN HE ROSE FROM HIS SEAT,
PUT HIS UPPER ROBE OVER ONE SHOULDER,
PLACED HIS RIGHT KNEE ON THE GROUND,
BENT FORTH HIS FOLDED HANDS TOWARDS
THE LORD, AND SAID TO THE LORD:
'IT IS WONDERFUL, O LORD,
IT IS EXCEEDINGLY WONDERFUL, O WELL-GONE,
HOW MUCH THE BODHISATTVAS,
THE GREAT BEINGS, HAVE BEEN HELPED
WITH THE GREATEST HELP BY THE TATHAGATA.
HOW THEN, O LORD, SHOULD ONE WHO HAS
SET OUT IN THE BODHISATTVA-VEHICLE,
STAND, HOW PROGRESS,
HOW CONTROL THE THOUGHTS?'
Subhuti is almost close to buddhahood. He is a bodhisattva. Bodhisattva means one who is ready to become a Buddha, who has come almost close to it; one step more and he will become a Buddha. Bodhisattva means bodhi-essence, bodhi-being: ready ninety-nine degrees -- and on the hundredth degree he will evaporate. But a bodhisattva is one who tries to remain a little longer at ninety-nine degrees so that he can help people out of his compassion, because once he has jumped the hundred degrees, he has gone beyond.... GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHISWAHA. Then he has gone and gone beyond and beyond. Then it will be very difficult to make contact with the people who live on this shore.
The greatest help is possible from those who are at the ninety-nine degree point. Why? -- because they are still not enlightened. They know the ways of the people who are unenlightened. They know the language of the people who are unenlightened. They are yet with them, and yet in another sense ninety-nine percent they have gone beyond. That one percent keeps them linked, bridged.
So a bodhisattva is one who is close to buddhahood but is trying to remain on this shore a little longer so that he can help people. He has arrived; he would like to share his arrival. He has known; he would like to share
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