Read this in a mailing list: ‘Speaking for myself, I’ve always thought that the impossible task of the Bodhisattva to save all sentient beings is perfectly portrayed in Camus’ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’. The famous last sentence of that book article reads – “The struggle itself is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”‘ Sisyphus is a mythological character condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down, to need to roll it back up again. But the short respite that Sisyphus periodically gets as the boulder rolls down is better than none at all.
And if Sisyphus learns to accept the toil, he rises above it. His task no longer becomes punishing. He can even learn to enjoy it – even while rolling up the boulder. Bodhisattvas’ mission to help all beings isn’t punishing; it is rewarding as they do what they wish to voluntarily. I wouldn’t say that Bodhisattvas’ mission to help all beings is endless or futile, though some beings do re-enter realms of suffering after being rescued from them. It can take many a detour before reaching the final destination.
Related Article:
An Alternative Myth of Sisyphus : Bearing the Unbearable
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