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Concept

Bodhisattva

One who seeks awakening for the sake of all beings.
Sanskrit, Mahāyāna
bodhisattva बोधिसत्त्व
Sanskrit, Mahāyāna
bodhicitta बोधिचित्त

Definition

A bodhisattva, “awakening-being”, is one on the way to buddhahood. In early Buddhism the word refers chiefly to the Buddha before his awakening, in this and earlier lives. In the Mahāyāna, the bodhisattva becomes the ideal for all practitioners: one who generates the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) and vows to attain buddhahood in order to free all beings, however long it takes.

The bodhisattva path is described as the cultivation of perfections (pāramitās), usually six: generosity, ethics, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom, with further lists of ten. It joins wisdom, which sees the emptiness of all things, with compassion, which works for beings who do not see it. Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra is the classic guide to this path, with its practice of exchanging oneself for others.

Mahāyāna devotion also turns to great bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin, Kannon, Chenrezig), the embodiment of compassion, and Mañjuśrī, the embodiment of wisdom.

In the traditions

Mahāyāna

The ideal practitioner, vowing to reach buddhahood for the sake of all beings, through the six perfections.

Theravāda

Chiefly the Buddha before his awakening; the arahant, not the bodhisattva, is the usual goal of practice.

Tibetan Buddhism

The bodhisattva vow and the generation of bodhicitta frame every practice, including the tantric path.

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Chicago (bibliography)

“Bodhisattva.” Concept. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/bodhisattva.

Chicago (note)

“Bodhisattva,” concept, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/bodhisattva.

MLA

“Bodhisattva.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/bodhisattva.

BibTeX
@misc{concepts-bodhisattva,
  title = {{Bodhisattva}},
  howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society},
  note = {Concept. Last modified November 7, 2026},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/bodhisattva}
}

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