Q: Next, is the term “Bodhisattva” Sanskrit or Chinese?

A: It is Sanskrit. [In Chinese] the longer transliteration is P’u-t’i-sa-ta, but here we use the abbreviation P’u-sa.

Q: What is the meaning in Chinese?

A: Bodhi means “enlightenment,” or “the mind that aspires for the Buddhist Path,” and sattva means “a sentient being.”

Q: What vows are made by a Bodhisattva?

A: He makes four great vows at the time of his first aspiration for enlightenment.

Q: What are these four great vows?

A: (1) To save all who are not yet saved, by the vow “Though there are unlimited sentient beings, I vow to save them.” (2) To awaken those who do not yet understand, by the vow, “Though there are unlimited passions, I vow to sever them.” (3) To soothe those who are not yet settled, by the vow, “Though there are inexhaustible doctrines, I vow to know them.” (4) To lead to Nirvāṇa those who have not yet attained Nirvāṇa, by the vow “Though the Buddhist Path is supreme, I vow to fulfill it.”

Q: Concerning these four great vows, what conditions allow one to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment?

A: One arouses the aspiration for enlightenment and vows to save all who have yet to be saved by contemplating the truth of suffering. One arouses the aspiration for enlightenment and vows to lead to understanding those who do not yet understand by contemplating the truth concerning the causes of suffering. One arouses the aspiration for enlightenment and vows to sooth those who are not yet settled by contemplating the truth of the Buddhist Path. One arouses the aspiration for enlightenment and vows to lead to Nirvāṇa those who have not yet attained Nirvāṇa by contemplating the truth concerning the extinction of suffering.