bodhisattva

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, someone who has reached enlightenment but has chosen to remain on the human plane in order to help other living beings. A bodhisattva is free to enter nirvana but voluntarily chooses to be reborn until all other beings have attained that state. Bodhisattvas are seen as intercessors to whom believers may pray for help.

Some bodhisattvas are mythical beings, sometimes connected to local demi-gods, but others are historical figures, monks, and teachers. Some of the most revered bodhisattvas include Avalokiteśvara, a bodhisattva of all-encompassing compassion whose incarnations include the Dalai Lama; and Guru Rinpoche, who helped to establish Buddhism in Tibet, and whose birthday is celebrated in an annual festival.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, anyone can become a Buddha through becoming a bodhisattva. At ordination, a monk will take the bodhisattva vow: ‘I vow to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings’. Mahāyāna Buddhists believe that everyone has a ‘Buddha nature’ within them. It follows that anyone is capable of reaching enlightenment and, therefore, becoming a Buddha. For this reason, Mahāyāna shrines may have many Buddhas represented.