(a Buddhist who has attained prajna, which is pure and unqualified knowledge; Enlightenment, who postpones nirvana)

one without ego, who works to liberate all sentient beings.

one who has taken the great vow to rescue all beings from suffering and guide them to enlightenment

(Sanskrit) An enlighted one who incarnates, refraining from entering nirvana, for the soul purpose to save others. Worshiped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism.

a state of being deeply compassionate; also one who aspires to attain Buddhahood or enlightenment but postpones it to dedicate his or her life to saving others. One of the 10 worlds.

One who having attained enlightenment is on his way to Buddhahood and who has postponed his goal of Buddhahood to help other human beings attain their salvation

(S) a person who seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself, but for all living beings.

A being poised to become a Buddha, but who renounces its own salvation in order to help humankind.

Enlightened One, destined to become Buddha

A manifestation of a Buddha, or one who is cultivating the path to become a Buddha, whose life is guided by the aspiration to establish all beings in buddhahood, free from suffering.( Back to the top)( Back to the top)

(bod his SAT va) A spiritual guide in Buddhism. The bodhisattva is one who has reached enlightened understanding, and delays final enlightenment to help others along the spiritual path.

'enlightened being' either the historical Buddha before He became enlightened, or someone close to Buddhahood, or a mythical being representing aspects of enlightenment, or any person who has taken the Bodhisattva Vow.

A Buddhist saint who has taken a vow to lead all sentient beings to the ultimate goal of enlightenment. They have generated the altruistic mind of bodhicitta and are on the path to full enlightenment.

(Sanskrit, "a being of bodhi or enlightenment.") A being destined for enlightenment, or one whose energy and power is directed toward enlightenment. A Bodhisattva is destined to become a Buddha but has forgone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of God on earth. An ascended master or an unascended master may be a bodhisattva.

Many Buddhist believe they are enlightened beings that have delayed their entrance into nirvana in order to assist all sentient beings towards the same goal. In the visual arts, they are most often depicted as radiant, princely figures. Some carry specific symbolic objects associated with their function in the Buddhist tradition. The most popular bodhisattvas in Pure Land Buddhism are Kannon, Monju, and Jizo.

literally, wisdom-being, one on the way to enlightenment; an enlightened being (Buddha) who renounces Nirvana to aid all human beings to achieve enlightenment

A follower of Buddha associated with the Mahayana school of Buddhism who has attained enlightenment, but defers Nirvana and remains in the cycle of death and rebirth until, with his help, all reach Nirvana and its release from suffering.

A person who has generated spontaneous bodhichitta but who has not yet become a Buddha. From the moment a practitioner generates a non-artificial, or spontaneous, bodhichitta, he or she becomes a Bodhisattva and enters the first Mahayana path, the path of accumulation. An ordinary Bodhisattva is one who has not realized emptiness directly, and a Superior Bodhisattva is one who has attained a direct realization of emptiness.

Sentient being who has accumulated sufficient merit and virtue to achieve nirvana, but remains on earth to help others attain salvation. Bodhisattvas are models of virtue and strength and act as divine intercessors between the supreme Buddha and the lesser beings on earth.

(Tib. Byang chub sems dpa) a being who has decided to bring all beings to enlightenment and is practising the Bodhisattva path.

One who seeks to gain Enlightenment. Particularly one who seeks to gain Enlightenment not just for him/herself but for the sake of all sentient beings.

A being who has achieved awakening and has chosen to reincarnate so as to help alleviate the suffering of all beings. Generally thought of as waiting to achieve nirvana until all other beings have reached enlightenment. Kuan Yin is one of the most well-loved Bodhisattva. Buddha: Most commonly used in English to refer to Shakyamuni Buddha, who was born Prince Siddhartha.

One who possesses the essence of enlightenment” – a deified saviour figure, a fully enlightened being who remains in the world in order to release other creatures from suffering existence.

or bosatsu . A Buddhist intermediary who has forsaken nirvana to work for the salvation of all humanity.

Buddhist worthy of nirvana who postpones it to help others

a being compounded of the two contradictory forces of wisdom and compassion

a being (cosmic or human) who forgoes enlightenment until saving all others from the cycle of suffering, called samsara in Sanskrit

a being, divine or human, who, upon reaching the threshold of enlightenment, chooses instead to remain behind, enduring the endless cycles of life, death, and rebirth (samsara) in order to help all other beings achieve enlightenment

a being that devotes him or herself to compassionate deeds, striving to benefit all beings and seeking their Enlightenment before his or her own

a being that has attained illumination and that has sworn an oath to forgo crossing the gates of Nirvana to aid the creatures of this world

a being who has vowed to stick around and help all sentient beings achieve enlightenment

a being who is a potential Buddha

a being who is on the path of becoming a buddha and who is committed to helping other sentient beings reach enlightenment

a being who is ready for nirvana but whose compassion is so great that he or she remains on this earth solely in order to reduce suffering and help free others

a being who is seeking enlightenment so that, once awakened, he or she may efficiently aid other beings in seeking their enlightenment

a Buddhist term for one who has reached enlightenment, but chooses not to enter heaven, but to return again and again to help other humans find enlightenment

a friend of the world who, motivated by compassion, spontaneously seeks enlightenment to benefit all living beings

a human being who has advanced so far on the path of spiritual progress that he has attained enlightenment and reached the threshold of nirvana

a kind of divine saviour, whose role is to aid any being desirous of deliverance and Nirvana

an Awakened Being who cycles through rebirths to help free other beings from suffering and establish the true teachings (Dharma) in the world

an enlightened human who is on the threshold of Nirvana, and thus exalted from earthly life, but who chooses to postpone full entry into Nirvana in order to help others

an enlightened spirit

an ideal archetype for the contemporary spiritual activist

an individual who has achieved ultimate enlightenment, yet choose to remain in the mortal realm to help those who are still struggling with their mortal coil

an individual who has attained perfect enlightenment but delays entry into final nirva na in order to make possible the salvation of all other sentient beings

a person who achieves great spiritual enlightenment yet remains on earth to help others

a person who can enter nirvana at any time but chooses to stay in the world life time after life time so that he can bring everyone else to salvation

a person who forgoes the quest for nirvana in order to assuage the suffering of other beings

a person who has as his essence (sattva), bodhi (awakening)

a person who has attained enlightenment but chooses to forgo Nirvana and remain in the world to help others attain enlightenment

a person who has reached divine enlightenment and is entitled to enter Nirvana, but refuses, choosing instead to be reborn until all creatures have entered Nirvana

a person who, motivated by great compassion, has developed a spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of all living beings

a person who practices Buddhism for the sake of others

a person who vows to become a Buddha by leading a life of virtue and wisdom

a practioner who has taken the vow to attain buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings

a saint who strives for perfection, or a person who relinquishes his own chance to enter Nirvana in order to help other achieve salvation

a sentient being who has already achieved enlightenment but chooses to stay in this mundane world to help others to relieve their sufferings

(Skt., = Tib. changchíub sempa). For the Early Schools and the Theravadins, the term bodhisattva refers primarily to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni in his previous lives. For the Mahayana schools, it has a wider meaning, and refers to (1) anyone who has irreversibly entered on the path to Buddhahood through arousing within himself or herself the central Mahayana motivation of BODHICITTA (q.v.); (2) certain highly-attained beings such as Avalokiteshvara or Manjushri who can be contacted in ritual for aid and who are, in effect, deities or sambhogakaya forms of the Buddha (see TRIKAYA DOCTRINE).

This Sanskrit name is given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to realize his or her full potential, enlightenment, for the benefit of all living beings.

In Buddhist thought, one of the host of divinities who was provided to the Buddha to help him save humanity and who has postponed enlightenment in order to help others overcome suffering.

A Sanskrit term meaning "one whose essence is enlightenment," a being who is destined for enlightenment or who could become a Buddha, but who puts it off to help others.

(Sanskrit, "one whose essence is wisdom"). In Mahayana Buddhism, future buddhas who postpone nirvana in order to help free others from suffering. The goal of Mahayana Buddhism is to become a bodhisattva. See Bodhisattvas.

Buddha who continues to practice benefiting all beings.

A being in the final stages of attaining Buddhahood, who has vowed to help all sentient beings achieve Nirvana, or enlightenment, before he himself achieves it.

Literally, he whose consciousness has become intelligence, or buddhi. Those who need but one more incarnation to become perfect buddhas. As used in these letters the Bodhisattva is the name of the office which is at present occupied by the Lord Maitreya, who is known in the occident as the Christ. This office might be translated as that of World Teacher. The Bodhisattva is the Head of all the religions of the world, and the Master of the Masters and of the angels. Buddha (The) The name given to Gautama. Born in India about B.C. 621 he became a full buddha in B.C. 592. The Buddha is one who is the "Enlightened," and has attained the highest degree of knowledge possible for man in this solar system. [217

Enlightenment being [Sanskrit]; someone known for an unbounded readiness and availability to help all sentient beings; the Buddha’s title before he became enlightened.

An enlightened being who defers nirvana until all people achieve enlightenment; effectively, a deity.

A future Buddha.

A Buddha to be who may be delaying his/her own enlightenment to continue a practice benefiting all beings. As praise, it is for selfless practice, as criticism for insufficient attention for one's own practice.

Literally, "He whose consciousness has become intelligence or buddhi." Those who need but one more life to become perfect buddhas. Name of office Lord Maitreya, known in the west as the Christ. The World Teacher is the Master of Masters and teacher of angels and humanity.

An enlightened being who chooses not to enter directly nirvana but out of compassion to remain in the cycle of birth-death-and-rebirth to assist all beings in reaching enlightenment.

a person who reached the final stage before that of nirvana but refrained from the last step in order to remain of service to mankind; revered as a saint

(Sanskrit "enlightened being") The ideal of Mahayana Buddhism: a being who is motivated by helping others rather than by self-grasping. Becoming a bodhisattva is regarded as the way to attaining buddhahood.

'A being of enlightenment'; one who makes vows to attain enlightenment and to save suffering beings, and thus sets out on the long course of practice. One who has accomplished the bodhisattva practice is a Buddha; an enlightenment-being; a Buddha-to-be.

A person with Bodhicitta motivation who works toward attainment of Buddhahood for the sake of all beings.

In its earliest definition this is a being seeking Buddhahood. Later in comes to mean a being destined for Buddhahood who defers personal Enlightenment in order to help other sentient being on the path. In our story we refer to the Buddha as "Siddhartha" when he is a prince, "Bodhisattva" when he decides to pursue the path to Enlightenment, and "Buddha" once he as attained Enlightenment.

An enlightened person who has chosen to postpone nirvana in order to help others become enlightened.

Literally, an awakened being, one who has attained Nirvana but remains in the world so that he or she can help others to awaken. Some of the better-known bodhisattvas are Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion, and Amida Buddha, the bodhisattva of the Pure Land.

Sanskrit; Bosatsu (Japanese), Bosal (Korean); one who postpones his or her own enlightenment in order to help liberate other sentient beings from cyclic existence; compassion, or karuna, is the central characteristic of the bodhisattva; important bodhisattvas include Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Jizo.

One who has vowed to attain Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment for themselves as well as for all beings. While Buddhas symbolize our virtuous nature, bodhisattvas represent the virtue of practice, without which, the innate virtuous nature cannot be revealed.

(Sanskrit): a being whose actions promote unity or harmony; one who vows to postpone one's own enlightenment in order to help all sentient beings realize liberation; one who seeks enlightenment not only for oneself but for others. The bodhisattva ideal is at the heart of Mahayana and Zen Buddhism.

Enlightened Being with Attainment Status in the Buddha School and one who is higher than an Arhat but lower than a Tathagata.

follower of the Buddha who chooses not to attain nirvana, but to stay on earth and help others

In Mahayana Buddhism, a person who has achieved enlightenment, but has who has chosen to remain in this world to help those who are suffering, instead of going on to nirvana. This is the highest ideal. Kuan Yin is an important Chinese bodhisattva; her full name means "Hearing World's Cries Bodhisattva." Amitabha Buddha is an important Bohisattva in the Mahayana form of Buddhism called Pure Land. The idea of the bodhisattva should be contrasted to the arhat of Theravada Buddhism.

(Skt.): Enlightenment being. Person who strives for Buddhahood in order to be of utmost benefit to all SENTIENT BEINGS. 1. General, someone who has taken the Bodhisattva-vows. 2. More specific, being who has taken that vow and also has attained spontaneous BODHICITTA.

Someone whose spiritual practice is directed toward the achievement of enlightenment. One who possesses the compassionate motivation of bodhicitta.

N,H A being who has supposedly earned the right to enter into Nirvana or into illumination, but instead voluntarily turns back from that state in order to aid humanity in attaining the same goal. The Christ is said to be a Bodhisattva.

(Pronunciation: "boh-dee-SAHT-vah") A being who has the wisdom and power sufficient to become a Buddha, but who refrains from doing so in order to help others find salvation.

( Skt.): Literally, "enlightenment being." 1. A practitioner who has attained realization of the bhumis 2. A practitioner who is devoted to achieving enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. 3. Someone who has taken the bodhisattva vow.

A being who, having developed the Awakening Mind (a mind infused with the aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood), devotes his life to the task of achieving Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.

One whose being is Supreme Insight. Clearly seeing his relationship with the rest of the Universe, he is motivated by great compassion for all beings, and has the wisdom to act accordingly. In the Mahayana tradition he may be a person who has renounced Nirvana for himself so that he can help others. He may also be an aspect of a Buddha acting to help Man.

(Skt) "One whose essence (sattva) is wisdom (bodhi)"; one stage before buddhahood; also one who renounces nirvana to live to benefit humanity.

One who is on the way to the attainment of the six paramitas, the four great vows, the four all-embracing virtues, etc. One who aspires to Supreme Enlightenment and Buddhahood for himself and all beings.

(Skt); byang chub sems dpa (Tib). Bodhisattva is a ‘courageous being’ who has undertaken to remain within samsara until all sentient beings have been liberated, rather than seeking individual liberation. The Bodhisattva ideal is of paramount importance in Mahayana Buddhism, the sutric path of which is often referred to as the Bodhisattvayana.

in Mahayana Buddhism, a figure or personality of profound compassion who, having already attained enlightenment, postpones his/her entrance into Nirvana in order to assist others along the way.

one who, out of compassion, forgoes Nirvana for the sake of service to others; this service is about Being, rather than doing. (see Avatar)

("enlightenment being"): in Mahayana Buddhist yoga, the individual who, motivated by compassion (karuna), is committed to achieving enlightenment for the sake of all other beings

In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva (IPA pronunciation: ) (Pali: bodhisatta; Tibetan changchub sempa (byang-chub sems-dpa');; Korean: 보살 bosal ; Japanese: 菩薩 bosatsu; Vietnamese: Bồ Tát; Thai: พระโพธิสัตว์) is a being who is dedicated to assisting all sentient beings in achieving complete Buddhahood, at the expense of delaying nirvana themselves. Conventionally, the term is applied to hypothetical beings with a high degree of enlightenment. Bodhisattva literally means "enlightenment ('bodhi') being ('sattva')" in Sanskrit.

a mortal who somehow figures out how to completely ignore both the power of Heaven and Hell