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