Bodhisattva

[ boh-duh-suht-vuh ]

/ ˌboʊ dəˈsʌt və /

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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.

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Compare Arhat.

Origin of Bodhisattva

1820–30; <Pali, Sanskrit

Words nearby Bodhisattva

bodgie, Bodgo Gegen, Bodh Gaya, bodhi, Bodhidharma, Bodhisattva, Bodhi Tree, bodhran, bodice, bodice ripper, Bo Diddley beat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bodhisattva in a sentence

Here, when Buddha was a Bodhisattva, he gave away his head to a man; and from this circumstance the kingdom got its name.
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms|Fa-Hsien
On the four sides are niches, with a Buddha seated in each, and a Bodhisattva standing in attendance on him.
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms|Fa-Hsien
The Bodhisattva went forward to the patra tree, placed the kusa grass at the foot of it, and sat down with his face to the east.
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms|Fa-Hsien
The sound of the Bodhisattva's body falling down stirred the curiosity and the anger of the tigress.
The Gtakaml|rya Sra

As soon as she perceived the lifeless body of the Bodhisattva, she rushed hastily upon it and commenced to devour it.
The Gtakaml|rya Sra

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 salvationCompare arhat

Word Origin for Bodhisattva

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012