Bodhisattva

//boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person who has taken specific lay or monastic vows and who is on the road to perfect knowledge; specifically, one who foregoes personal nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment.

    "Kimi was a true bodhisattva, and her English skills were excellent."

  2. 2
    An enlightened being existing in a form of existence beyond the ordinary forms of physical reality understood and acknowledged by scientific thought, resembling the Western notion of angels, but with a wealth of its own nuances and expectations. These include the compassionate working for enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Synonyms

All synonyms
boddhisatvabodhisatbuddhamahasattvamahasattva

Example

More examples

"I read the article "Between Bodhisattva and Christian Deity: Guanyin and the Virgin Mary in Late Ming China.""

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व (bodhisattva, “enlightened existence”).

Related phrases

bodhisattva vows

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.