What is a Sentient Being?

Who are the objects of the care of a great compassion bodhisattva? Perfected in wisdom, buddha emanated bodhisattva’s activity is toward sentient beings of different categories. Sentient beings, or living beings, are those who are not yet enlightened or awakened to the illusory nature of ordinary reality. Sentient beings exist in many forms, realms, and locations and even in formless realms. The lost ones, the suffering sentient beings, are not actively being nurtured in development because they are not prepared enough to receive specialized care.
As healing by myriad methods reverses damage to inner levels of suffering beings, gradually all of them will become capable of receiving direct care. In a technical sense, a careful practitioner is in a category of beings that are cared for and nurtured in the development stage and is therefore not a sentient being. However, sometimes a practitioner is a sentient being, and sometimes a practitioner is not a sentient being. The one who is strongly practicing is lifted to higher development temporarily, but easily falls back into samsara.
Due to samsara and individual karma, this higher state is not continuous for them, and bursts of practice enthusiasm are often followed by periods of inappropriate suffering. Because of this, practitioners are generally also called suffering sentient beings.

This is an excerpt from Mystery of Emptiness & Love
Hermitage Buddhist Publishing
Available through your local bookstore, http://www.white-conch.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WCT&Product_Code=2009-07-28___DGR-072809MEL&Category_Code=BKS or on Amazon - these are a couple of reviews from Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars The Nature of Reality Explained, August 11, 2009
By (CC) Have you ever asked yourself, "Why am I suffering? Why is this happening to me?" Or perhaps, "How did I get into this predicament again?"
Mystery of Emptiness and Love by Domo Geshe Rinpoche defines the problems sentient beings face with understanding the nature of reality. She begins by exploring the "innate view" or the programming keeping us in the unenlightened state. The Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche then leads us down a new road of understanding, shedding light on the illusory or hypnotic nature of our every day lives. The reader feels guided as they are shown how to dismantle the incorrect views that keep one from inner freedom.
Domo Geshe Rinpoche continues to illuminate the reader with her commentary based on Chandrakirti's Twenty Emptinesses. She describes what the harmony of true emptiness means, making this a book that a person of any religion or `no religion' can identify with. One does not have to be Buddhist to relate to finding freedom from the overwhelming innate views we hold.
Midway through the book, the reader is feeling very sated. Yet, the author continues to balance our new view with teachings of compassion and spiritual love. How did the great bodhisattvas, the enlightened beings, train themselves in love after they let go of the innate view? "When we no longer hold the grasping, contaminated view, we become capable of experiencing the supreme events possible for a human being." The Rinpoche explains the state of bliss-love as a vital part of our development.
This book is a refreshing spiritual journey, filled with warmth and great wisdom. It is only 181 pages, yet when one lifts it, the weight of it feels heavy... as though it were bursting at the seams to teach each and every one of us how to find "love and emptiness, a true compassion state."

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes emptiness easy to understand, August 29, 2009
By K L I had tried reading other books on emptiness but had difficulty understanding it. I found this book very easy to read and understand. It made this esoteric subject very accessible for me. I really enjoyed the sections on the innate view as well. I am recommending it to all my friends and the people in my meditation group.

"Was ist ein fühlendes Wesen?
Wer sind die Objekte der Fürsorge eines Bodhisattvas des großen Mitgefühls? Vollkommen in der Weisheit richten sich die Handlungen der aus Buddhas emanierten Bodhisattvas auf Wesen aus verschiedenen Kategorien.... Fühlende Wesen, oder lebende Wesen, sind diejenigen, die noch nicht erleuchtet oder wach für die illusorische Natur der gewöhnlichen Wirklichkeit sind. Fühlende Wesen existieren in vielen Formen, Bereichen und an vielen Orten, selbst in formlosen Bereichen. Die Verlorenen, die leidenden, fühlenden Wesen werden nicht aktiv in ihrer Entwicklung umsorgt, da sie nicht ausreichend auf den Empfang besonderer Fürsorge vorbereitet sind.
Durch die Heilung mithilfe unzähliger Methoden wird die Verletzung innerer Ebenen der leidenden Wesen rückgängig gemacht und nach und nach werden sie alle in der Lage sein, direkte Fürsorge zu empfangen. Technisch gesehen befindet sich ein sorgfältig Übender in einer Kategorie von Wesen, die in der Entwicklungsphase umsorgt und gehegt werden und ist deshalb kein fühlendes Wesen. Allerdings ist manchmal ein Übender ein fühlendes Wesen und dann wieder kein fühlendes Wesen. Jemand der stark übt wird vorübergehend zur höheren Entwicklung emporgehoben aber fällt leicht wieder ins Samsara zurück.
Aufgrund von Samsara und individuellem Karma ist dieser höhere Zustand für ihn nicht von Dauer und Praxisschübe wechseln sich oft mit Phasen unangemessenen Leidens ab. Aus diesem Grund bezeichnet man Übende im allgemeinen auch als leidende fühlende Wesen.

Dies ist ein Ausschnitt aus 'Mystery of Emptiness & Love
Hermitage Buddhist Publishing" DGR