Page 16 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

What then is a Bodhisattva?

B is a Sanskrit term with B meaning Wisdom

or Enlightenment, and , which means Essence or Being.

A Bodhisattva is thus a Wisdom-being or an Aspiring Buddha

who is determined to attain Buddhahood.

When enlightened, he renounces Nirvana and goes on living

Samsaric existences for the sake of others, perfects himself dur-

ing an incalculable period of time and finally realises Nirvana

and becomes a Fully Enlightened Buddha, a Samyaksambuddha.

His main attributes are love, compassion, selflessness and wis-

dom and his capacity for service to others is unlimited. e Vows

that he aspires to fulfill are:

“owever innumerable sentient beings are,  vow to save them.

owever inexhaustible the defilements are,  vow to extinguish them.

owever immeasurable the harmas are,  vow to master them.

owever difficult nlightenment is,  vow to attain it!”

ese great Vows thus commit the Bodhisattva to lead all beings

to liberation and to remain in this world till the end, even for the

sake of a single being. ey are known as the Bodhisattva Vows

which all Mahayanists should practise.

A Bodhisattva is usually presented as the personification of a

particular trait of the Buddha, and as there are numerous such

 