Within Theravadin Buddhism there are different aspirations. Theravadin Buddhism has the Bodhisattva aspirations, but it also understands that in order to have a Sangha we can't all be Buddhas. In order for the Dhamma to be handed down through the centuries, it also depends on other enlightened beings, in the Buddha's dispensation, handing it down for the benefit of all beings. A Buddha is a bit like one grain of sand on a beach, or the captain of the ship, it's no good to have too many captains, otherwise you don't have a crew. So, everybody becoming a Bodhisattva in Theravadin Buddhism is not seen as practical.
As well, it is recognized that people have different capacities or intentions. So Theravadin Buddhism has the Bodhisattva vow yet they also have other vows. Some people vow to become the chief disciple of the Buddha, or some people have the vow to be the one that is able to memorize all the Suttas to hand it down, or some people have a vow to be the one that helps the Buddha perfect the Paramis as Yasodhara did with this Buddha. So there's many different types of vows, and not everybody has to perfect the Paramis in order to have a full Sangha.
We do need those special people who will make that vow so when the Dhamma has disappeared from the world, there will be someone to bring it back to the world. But the Bodhisattva vow in Theravadin Buddhism is quite a high thing and there's a lot of prerequisites before you can take it. It is not as easy as in some other traditions where someone who doesn't have all these prerequisites can take it and think that they are a Bodhisattva. I was once talking to a Thai and we were talking about the Bodhisattva vow, and at that time I thought, well maybe I want to be a Bodhisattva, and they said, "Well that's a good aspiration, I hope you do work very hard in this life so you can become a Bodhisattva." Because in Theravadin Buddhism there is a lot of prerequisites as I said.
One of them is that you have to have the capacity to become enlightened in that lifetime, the lifetime that you make the vow. You also have to be a wandering ascetic at that time. You have to make the vow in front of a living Buddha. Since there are no living Buddhas now, Theravadin Buddhist don't believe I can take on that aspiration in this life, only that I could work towards becoming a Bodhisattva. Other prerequisites include that you have to be able to do all the eight Jhanas in that life and have all the psychic powers.
So in Theravadin Buddhism there is the Bodhisattva tradition, but there is also a lot of prerequisites, that have been written down in the scriptures, that are requirements for the vow to actually fruit. So you can make a vow to become a Bodhisattva, but it is probably not right to go around saying, "I am a Bodhisattva."
However, in Theravadin Buddhism there is also what we call "Muan Pra Podhisat," like a Bodhisattva, the practice of being like a Bodhisattva. In this, you are trying to develop the Paramis as high as you can so you can be of most benefit to yourself and all beings. So the practice like a Bodhisattva, is one where you practice for yourself and also for others. To help yourself and also to help others.
This is part of humility, I feel, learning how to understand our place and just doing the best we can to develop the Paramis. Then we're going in the right direction whether we become a Bodhisattva or an Arahant or something that we don't even know what the name is yet. A lot of these theories we don't really know to be true. This is the Parami of Truthfulness. However we do know that developing the Paramis is a very beneficial thing to do, it helps ourselves, it helps others. And then, with more humility we don't elevate ourselves above Arahants who are supposed to be enlightened beings. Saying that "I'm a Bodhisattva, therefore I have the Bodhisattva vow, therefore I'm better than an Arahant," is exactly what some people tend to do.
If we look at an Arahant, a fully enlightened being, someone who is free of all greed, hatred and ignorance of reality, this is a very highly evolved person. We need to keep humility as part of our practice and not elevate ourselves above such people. So there is the practice of "Muan Pra Podhisat" and there is the practice of a Bodhisattva. With practicing to become a Bodhisattva in Theravadin Buddhism, there are a lot of prerequisites in order to be able to do that. And I'm very thankful that the Buddha, our Buddha, made that vow in front of another Buddha.
It is recorded in the Theravadin scriptures that when he made that vow in front of another Buddha, he had all the prerequisites for enlightenment at that moment, yet he became so inspired by this Buddha, that he decided to become a Bodhisattva, and work towards the perfection of the Paramis so that he could become a Buddha. And the Buddha of that time saw this vow arise in his mind as he was actually laying in the mud. He saw that vow and said that it would fruit, he would become a Buddha. So that's another prerequisite, that the Buddha, whom you make the vow in front of, has to recognize this vow, and look into the future and perceive that that vow is going to fruit. So Theravadin Buddhism does have the Bodhisattva tradition, but there's a lot of prerequisites in order to become a Bodhisattva.