Glossary · Buddhist philosophy & practice
Bodhisattva
A bodhisattva (Sanskrit: बोधिसत्त्व; Tibetan: བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ, Jangchub Sempa, “Hero of Awakening”) is someone who cultivates bodhicitta, the resolve to reach awakening for the benefit of all beings, not for oneself alone.
In this reading, “bodhisattva” names less a celestial being than a stance the mind can take: to turn one's own practice outward, toward the relief of others' suffering.
Sources
The term is rooted in the canonical sutras and traditional commentaries of Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, where it is treated as a contemplative method for training the mind rather than an object of belief.
