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.]] In . ''Bodhisattva'' literally means "enlightenment ('bodhi') being ('sattva')" in Sanskrit ; it also refers to the Buddha himself in his previous lives and in his life prior to his Awakening . In the Mahayana tradition, Bodhisattvas take vows to work for the complete enlightenment of all Sentient beings. A Bodhisattva strives to become fully enlightened as a Buddha so as to have the best abilities to help other beings, and takes the vow to not enter into (passive) Nirvana before all other sentient beings have achieved complete Buddhahood . This method is not really taught in Theravada philosophy, where indeed the majority of Enlightened Beings are Arahant s who achieved Nirvana, not Buddhas. The meaning of Bodhisattva in the Pali Canon and the Theravada tradition does not imply that a Bodhisatta made the vow not to enter Nirvana until everybody else is enlightened: this is a Mahayana innovation. Therefore, the 'Bodhisatta' and the 'Bodhisattva' are quite different in nature. The Bodhisattvas are honored in many famous artworks, including one of the highest Sculpture s of the Bodhisattva at the Chinese Puning Temple , built in 1755. BODHISATTAS IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM The term Bodhisatta ( Pali language) was used by the Buddha in the Pali Canon to refer to himself both in his previous lives and as a young man in his current life, prior to his enlightenment, in the period during which he was working towards his own Liberation . When, during his discourses, he recounts his experiences as a young aspirant, he regularly uses the phrase "When I was an unenlightened Bodhisatta...". The term therefore connotes a being who is 'bound for enlightenment', in other words, a person whose destiny it is to become fully enlightened. The previous lives of the Buddha as a bodhisattva are featured in the Jataka Tales. While , he is not referred to as a bodhisattva, but simply the next fully-awakened Buddha to come into existence. BODHISATTVAS IN MAHAYANA BUDDHISM In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva has the compassionate determination to aid all beings on their quest for the highest state of development, full enlightenment of a Buddha. This type of motivation is known as Bodhicitta ('citta' means mind). Remaining in this world of uncontrolled rebirth ('' Samsara ''), the bodhisattva has taken the Bodhisattva Vow to achieve Buddhahood as quickly as possible and thereby be most able to teach Dharma until all beings have likewise achieved enlightenment. Another common conception of the bodhisattva is one who delays his own entering into Nirvana in order to save all sentient beings out of his enormous compassion. He is on a mission to liberate all sentient beings, and only then will he rest in his own enlightenment. In brief, simply imagine the bodhisattva as saying: ''If I know how to swim, and even one other being cannot, then it is right to remain behind in this world to assist them until they know how to save themselves from drowning.'' Mahayana Buddhist philosophy sometimes poses the concept of the bodhisattva in opposition to that of the '' Śrāvakabuddha '' (conventionally referred to as an Arhat ). The arhat is seen as being liberated from samsara (or reincarnation), but he did not choose to save all and every other living being before passing away into Parinirvana , and thus is not a fully enlightened Buddha. According to many traditions within Mahayana Buddhism, on his or her way to becoming a Buddha, the bodhisattva proceeds through ten, or sometimes fourteen, stages or '' Bhumi ''. Below is the list of ten bhumis and their descriptions from ''The Jewel Ornament of Liberation'', a treatise by Gampopa , an influential teacher of the Tibetan Kagyu school. Other schools give variant descriptions. Before a bodhisattva arrives at the first ground, he or she first must travel the first two of the five paths, which are said to correspond to words from the Mantra that appears at the end of the Heart Sutra : #the path of accumulation (''gate'') #the path of preparation (''gate''). The ten grounds of the bodhisattva then can be grouped into the next three paths #Bhumi 1 the path of insight (''paragate'') #Bhumi 2-7 the path of meditation (''parasamgate'') #Bhumi 8-10 the path of no more learning (''bodhi'') as a bodhisattva, before becoming a Buddha . He is characteristically depicted as a nobleman, posing with left hand on the hip, Gandhara , 2nd-3rd century.]] The 10 Grounds of the Bodhisattvayana #''Great Joy''
#''Stainless''
#''Radiant''
#''Luminous''
#''Very difficult to train''
#''Obviously Transcendent''
#''Gone afar''
#''Immovable''
#''Good Discriminating Wisdom''
#''Cloud of dharma''
wood carving of Guanyin; Shanxi Province (A.D. 907-1125)]] After the ten bhumis, according to Mahayana Buddhism, one attains complete enlightenment and becomes a Buddha. Various traditions within Buddhism believe in certain specific bodhisattvas. Some bodhisattvas appear across traditions, but due to language barriers may be seen as separate entities. For example, (formerly spelled and pronounced: Kwannon) in Japan. Jizo or Ti Tsang is another popular bodhisattva in Japan and China. Jizo is known for aiding those who are lost. His greatest compassionate Vow being: "If I do not go to the hell to help the suffering beings there, who else will go? ... if the hells are not empty I will not become a Buddha. Only when all living beings have been saved, will I attain Bodhi." A modern bodhisattva for many is the 14th Dalai Lama , considered by many followers of Tibetan Buddhism to be an incarnation of that same bodhisattva Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The bodhisattva is a popular subject in Buddhist Art . The place of a bodhisattva's earthly deeds, such as the achievement of Enlightenment or the acts of Dharma , is known as a Bodhimanda , and may be a site of Pilgrimage . Many temples and monasteries are famous as bodhimandas; for instance, the island of Putuoshan , located off the coast of Ningbo , is venerated by Chinese Buddhists as the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara . Perhaps the most famous bodhimanda of all is the Bodhi Tree under which Shakyamuni achieved buddhahood. BODHISATTVA IN POPULAR CULTURE .]]
SEE ALSO wooden Bodhisattva, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD), Shanghai Museum .]]
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