Bodhisattva

A being who seeks buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. Bodhisattvas are central figures in Mahayana Buddhism, where compassion and the bodhisattva path define an ideal of liberation.

Bodhicitta: The aspiration to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Its arising marks the commitment that begins the Mahayana bodhisattva path.
Avalokiteśvara: A bodhisattva associated with compassion, revered across Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. This figure gives the bodhisattva ideal its most widely recognized compassionate form.
Jātaka: A Buddhist narrative about a previous life of the Buddha, often depicting his cultivation of virtues. These stories portray the future Buddha’s long development as a bodhisattva.
Bodhisattva precepts: Ethical commitments undertaken in some Mahayana traditions to guide conduct toward awakening and others’ welfare. They turn the bodhisattva aspiration into disciplines governing everyday action.
Śrāvaka: A Buddhist disciple who follows the teachings of a buddha toward liberation, especially in early Buddhist frameworks. Mahayana sources often distinguish the bodhisattva’s universal aim from the śrāvaka path.
Bodhisattva vow: A commitment to attain awakening and work for the liberation of all beings. It expresses the bodhisattva’s aim in formal vows, with wording varying across traditions.
Mañjuśrī: A bodhisattva associated with wisdom in Mahayana Buddhist traditions. Mañjuśrī represents the wisdom cultivated alongside compassion on the path.
Early Buddhist texts: The earliest surviving bodies of Buddhist scripture, preserved in several language traditions. They use bodhisattva chiefly for the Buddha before his awakening, unlike later Mahayana expansions.
Tonglen: A Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice of giving happiness and taking in suffering through visualization and intention. It trains compassion by imaginatively accepting others’ suffering and offering them relief.
Pratyekabuddha: A person who awakens independently in an age without a buddha’s teaching but does not establish a teaching tradition. Mahayana classifications set this path beside the bodhisattva’s commitment to guide others.

Linked from 55 pages