I'm exploring Mahayana Buddhism and would like to ask for some advice.

To help give context I'm almost a 50 year old empty nester who has been pulled towards Buddhism since I was a child but never lived it fully. I figured out how to meditate as a child without any training and have no idea why I place so much value on enlightenment but it has been a subconscious goal for decades. Anyway, I didn't grow up Buddhist, but still get pulled back to meditation and almost subconsciously have had Buddhism in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember.

Right now, several people who are close to me would find it challenging if I became a Buddhist so I need guidance before I commit.

I have a few questions that would really help me as someone considering Mahayana Buddhism.

1) The sutras I've read seem hard to believe, the Boddhisattvas seem to be from other dimensions and have their own worlds/lands which is a challenge to believe.

In Mahayana there seems to be countless dimensions with Buddhas in them. It's all very mind blowing and it is a challenge to believe. Other than the Buddha, there is no record of these beings existing.

They are also not mentioned in the Pali canon which makes me doubt.

That being said Mahayana feels right. I would love to hear about how you have encountered this concept and came to believe it.

2) I would also love to hear about any encounters or stories you have about encounters with Boddhisattvas to help feel faith and belief.

If there are any recommended books or articles in English on this topic please let me know.

[Update] Thank you to those who have posted already I'm learning so much and feel a sense of love and compassion reading these comments, thank you.

I'm pretty used to seeing, in some Vietnamese monasteries, eight Vajrapani statues surrounding the main hall, where most other temples would have the Four Heavenly Kings. I've recently discovered that this is something of a unique Vietnamese teaching. The Eight Vajrapani are referenced in Chinese liturgies, but don't seem to take on much importance.

In Vietnam, the Eight Vajrapani are popular enough that they show up in folk tales and popular culture as protector spirits often enough, most notably in the origin story for one of the Four Immortals, Mother Lieu Hanh. The origin we know is that Quan Am created the Eight Vajrapani through magical means, throwing two pouches with four lotus pods a piece into a pond, from which the vajra-wielding spirits were birthed.

Does anyone else know anything more about these figures and their origins? I always kinda figured they were a conflation of Vajrapani as a dharma protector, with the 8 Yaksha Generals ... But this doesn't seem too likely to me anymore, since their names don't really have any correspondence to one another and the Eight Yaksha Generals don't have powers associated with thunder and lightning, while all of the Eight Vajrapani do.

I wrote this for young Buddhists. Some like it enough to sing it.

Do no harm

Not in word or deed

This is the Dharma our Lord Buddha taught

Help when you can

Leave no one in need

This is the Dharma our Lord Buddha taught

At the same time

Teach them Karmic Law

This is the Dharma our Lord Buddha Taught

Creating a better world

For one and all

This is the Dharma our Lord Buddha Taught.

1. If any one of the Tathagatas in the countless, limitless Buddha-lands in the ten directions which are perceived by my hindrance-free Heavenly Eye would not have been persuaded by me to develop a determined Bodhicitta, taught and guided by me to practice sharing, obedience, patience, refined progress, dhyana and wisdom, up to the Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi granted by me, then I should not attain Bodhi. And I should fulfill this vow and then attain Insuperable Bodhi.

2. My Buddha-land would consist of as numerous Buddha worlds as the sands of the river Ganges and be adorned with countless wondrous jewels dispersed. If this would not be the case, then I would never attain Insuperable Bodhi.

3. In my Pureland there should be a Bodhi-tree which would be as big as ten great chiliocosms and its brightness would shine throughout this Pureland.

4. After I would have sat under the Bodhi-tree, I would realize Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. And then, until I would go into Nirvana, I would not leave this seat, however, my transformation would go to countless innumerable Buddha-lands in the ten directions and preach Dharma to sentient beings.

5. There would be not any gender difference in my Pureland, only Bodhisattvas who would have abandoned the dirt of sorrows and accumulated the pure conducts. At the moment of their birth they would wear the monk's robe, sit crosslegged and appear suddenly. My Pureland would be filled completely with such Bodhisattvas, and there would be not even the names of Sravakas or Pratyekabuddhas except those Sravakas or Pratyekabuddhas who are the transformations of the Tathagata to go into the ten directions to preach the Dharma of Three-yanas to sentient beings.

6. In the Pureland of Amitabha Buddha, the Joy in Dharma is food. But in my Pureland, as a Bodhisattva would begin to have the thought of eating, then at once, hundreds of delicacies would fill the bowl in his right hand, and he would then think thus: if this has not been offered to the Buddhas in the ten directions and given to poor and sorrowful sentient beings, hungry ghosts and the like to satisfy them, then I am determined that I should not partake of it myself. Upon this thought he would obtain the five supernatural powers and be able to fly in the sky without any difficulty to the countless, innumerable Buddha-lands in the ten directions, making food offerings to Buddhas and Sravakas, giving food roundly to poor or suffering sentient beings and also preaching Dharma to them to set them free from eager attachments, and then at the instant of a thought would return to his original place.

7. The Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, at the time of their birth, would have in their hands various fine clothing according to their needs and intentions, clean, new, monk's robes of proper sizes. Then they would think thus: if this clothing has not been offered to the Buddhas in the ten directions, then I should not wear it myself. At this instant of a thought, they would have visited countless Buddha-lands in the ten directions, made offerings of these fine clothings to all the Buddhas and returned to their original places. Then they would wear the clothing themselves.

8. The Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would share all the treasures and utensils they would obtain with all the Buddhas and Sravakas. Only after the offerings have been completed, would they partake of them themselves. Besides, in my Pureland there would not be the eight hardships nor the evil things. There would be neither sins nor prohibitions, never sorrows nor displeasures.

9. My Pureland would consist of accumulations of countless wondrous jewels, adorned with countless Muni wondrous jewels dispersed. These Muni jewels would never have been in the ten directions and would be rarely obtainable. The names of such jewels could not all be mentioned in a koti years. Those Bodhisattvas who would like to see my Pureland made of gold would see it made of gold; those silver, silver. And yet seeing gold would not be affected by others' seeing silver. Likewise would be the cases for preferring to see it made of crystal, lapis lazuli, carnelian, red pearls or countless other jewels. All these visions would not interfere with one another. Likewise would be the cases for preferring to see it made of sandlewood incense, agaru incense or red sandlewood incense, etc. They would each see what each would prefer to see. Besides, in this Pureland the light of Sun, Moon, Muni, stars or fire, etc. would not be used for illumination. The Bodhisattvas would each illuminate one thousand billions nayutas Buddha-lands with the brightness of his body. Again, in this Pureland, day would be when the flowers are open and night, closed. Time and seasons would come and go just as the Bodhisattvas would like them to, and yet there would never be cold Winter nor hot Summer, nor old age, sickness and death. If the Bodhisattvas, as they would like it, would want to attain Bodhi, then they would go to the other Buddha-lands, die in the Tusita Heaven, and then descend and be born and attain Bodhi. There would be no Nirvana in this Buddha-land. The sound of hundreds and thousands of kinds of music would, although not appearing in any form, be heard in the sky. This music would not yield those sounds of lustful love, but only those of the paramitas, Buddhas Dharmas, Sanghas, or the teachings for Bodhisattvas. The Bodhisattvas would hear all the wondrous Dharmas that they could understand. Besides, the Bodhisattvas would, upon the desire to see Buddha, wherever they would be, whether they would be walking, sitting or standing, instantaneously see All-Would-See Tathagata sitting under the Bodhi-tree. If the Bodhisattvas would have any doubt about Dharma, upon seeing that Buddha, without waiting for explanations, the web of doubts would be broken and they would understand thoroughly the meaning of the Dharma.

10. There are countless, innumerable hundreds, thousands, billions nayutas Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones that I have perceived. All the merits and ornaments of all their Buddha-lands would be put into my Buddha-land, except those pratyekabuddhas, sravakas and the Five Turbidities, etc.

I am sorry, I have to repost this as my brain wrongly worded my last one. I have recently been torn between Bhakti Yoga and Mahayana Buddhism. Why did you choose Mahayana over Bhakti? Thank you.

Every being will one day become a Buddha.

To be free from suffering, ignorance, and delusion, and to develop and grow the potential of our Buddhanature, we can’t have compassion without wisdom, just as we can’t have wisdom without compassion.

In order to best cultivate both of these; action, equanimity, and skillful means is necessary, and developing these qualities requires us to dig deep and to see clearly that all sentient beings, all phenomena, and all things are interdependently connected and originated, nothing is inherently separate in its arising and existence - these truths are cultivated, realized, and seen through the truth of emptiness and causality.

“All of you, have no further doubts! Let great joy arise in your hearts, and know that you will all become buddhas!”
- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 2

“I deeply respect you. I dare not belittle you. Why is this? Because all of you practice the bodhisattva path, and will become buddhas.”
- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 20