The bodhisattva ideal, where one forgets the self and helps others, is emphasized in Mahayana Buddhism. But bodhisattvas are not just powerful symbolic figures, they are ordinary people who dedicate themselves to the wellbeing of others, to the environment, peace, to social justice.  People  like you and me.  In this talk, Gilly honours three contemporary bodhisattvas and their journey to realisation:  the Diamond Sangha’s founding teacher, Robert Aitken roshi;  Thich Nhat Hanh, the beloved peace activist and poet and Joanna Macy, the engaged Buddhist activist and scholar.

This teisho was given by Gillian Coote, roshi at the August zazenkai at Annandale in 2025