Bodhisattva

[ boh-duh-suht-vuh ]
/ ˌboʊ dəˈsʌt və /

noun Buddhism.

a person who has attained prajna, or Enlightenment, but who postpones Nirvana in order to help others to attain Enlightenment: individual Bodhisattvas are the subjects of devotion in certain sects and are often represented in painting and sculpture.
Compare Arhat.

Origin of Bodhisattva

1820–30; < Pali, Sanskrit

Example sentences from the Web for bodhisattva

British Dictionary definitions for bodhisattva

Bodhisattva
/ (ˌbəʊdɪˈsætvə, -wə, ˌbɒd-, ˌbəʊdiːˈsʌtvə) /

noun

(in Mahayana Buddhism) a divine being worthy of nirvana who remains on the human plane to help men to salvation Compare arhat

Word Origin for Bodhisattva

Sanskrit, literally: one whose essence is enlightenment, from bodhi enlightenment + sattva essence