Bodhisattva definition
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In Buddhist thought, a Bodhisattva (Ch.: 菩薩 pú sà, Jp.: bosatsu) is a being who is dedicated to achieving complete Buddhahood. That is their reason for "being" or raison d'être. Conventionally, the term is applied to hypothetical beings with a high degree of enlightenment. Bodhisattva literally means an "enlightenment (bodhi) being (sattva)" in Sanskrit. The following is a partial list of bodhisattvas, respected in Indian, Mongolian, Tibetan, Japanese and Chinese traditions.
