bodhisattva

English

/boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/, /boʊ̯diːˈsɑtvə/

noun
Definitions
  • (Buddhism) 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.
  • (Buddhism) 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.

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व (enlightened existence) root from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (be awake, wake, rise up, aware, perceive fully, make aware, awake, be aware, comprehend, observe, fully perceive, keep watch, be wake).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*bʰewdʰ-

Gloss

be awake, wake, rise up, aware, perceive fully, make aware, awake, be aware, comprehend, observe, fully perceive, keep watch, be wake

Concept
Semantic Field

The body

Ontological Category

Property

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms