bodhisattva
- Term Type
Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Preferred Term
bodhisattva
- Details
In Mahayana Buddhism, one who attains the enlightenment of a Buddha but chooses to postpone entering nirvana and instead stays in the world for the compassionate purpose of helping lesser beings attain enlightenment. In Theravada Buddhism, the term is exclusively used to identify historical Buddhas in their previous lives.
- Variations
bodhisatta
Enlightenment-Being
P'u-sa
Bosatsu
Posal
byang.chub sems.dpa
Hero of the Thought of Enlightenment