Bodhicitta is the motivation that makes one a bodhisattva: the wish to awaken fully so as to free all beings from suffering. Śāntideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva praises it as the seed of buddhahood. Tibetan teachers distinguish aspiring bodhicitta from engaged bodhicitta, and relative from ultimate.
Bodhicitta
The mind of awakening: the aspiration to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
Also: Bodhicitta