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Category: Mahāyāna

  • Buddhas

    Introduction The term Buddha, meaning “awakened one,” denotes an individual who has attained bodhi (awakening) and consequently transcended the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra). While many spiritual beings in Buddhist tradition achieve liberation, the title Buddha is reserved for those rare beings who discover and teach the path to awakening independently, without relying on…

  • Buddha-Nature

    Introduction Buddha-nature (Sanskrit: tathāgatagarbha or buddhatva; Chinese: 佛性, foxing; Japanese: busshō) refers to a fundamental concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism that asserts all sentient beings possess an intrinsic potential for enlightenment. This innate nature is the basis for spiritual development, indicating that every being has the capacity to realize Buddhahood. Though absent in early Buddhist texts,…

  • Buddhahood

    Introduction Buddhahood (Sanskrit: buddhatva) refers to the supreme and complete realization of enlightenment, attained by a Buddha. It represents the final goal of Buddhist practice: the total liberation from all mental defilements and ignorance, and the direct and unimpeded insight into ultimate reality. Buddhas are beings who, having fully awakened to the nature of existence,…

  • Bodhidharma

    Introduction Bodhidharma, an Indian monk traditionally regarded as the first patriarch of the Chinese Chan (Zen) tradition, is a semi-legendary figure whose biography is intertwined with myth, doctrine, and symbolism. Revered as the 28th patriarch in an unbroken line of transmission from the historical Buddha, Bodhidharma is said to have brought a distinct form of…

  • Bodhi

    The term bodhi (Sanskrit and Pāli, “awakening” or “enlightenment”) denotes the profound knowledge and liberation achieved by a Buddha. Derived from the root √budh (“to awaken, to know”), bodhi signifies both a deep, transformative insight into reality and the culmination of spiritual practice. While sometimes equated with nirvāṇa, bodhi refers more precisely to the realization…

  • Bodhicitta

    Bodhicitta (literally, “mind of awakening” or “thought of awakening” in Sanskrit and Pāli) refers to the profound aspiration and resolution to attain Buddhahood for the sake of liberating all sentient beings. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, it is both the motivational essence behind the bodhisattva’s path and the mental state that underpins ethical conduct, meditation, and ritual…

  • List of Bodhisattvas

    In Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism, bodhisattvas are beings who have generated bodhicitta—the compassionate aspiration to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings—and who actively engage in the world to relieve suffering. Over centuries, Buddhist traditions across regions have venerably recognized various bodhisattvas, each embodying a specific virtue or spiritual function. These figures appear…

  • Bodhisattva Vows

    The Bodhisattva Vows (Sanskrit: bodhisattva‑praṇidhāna, lit. “bodhisattva aspiration or resolution”) form a central practice in Mahāyāna Buddhism, in which a practitioner vows to attain full enlightenment (bodhi) not for personal release, but out of compassion for all sentient beings. This pledge marks the entry into the bodhisattva path, committing the individual to uphold the six…

  • Bodhisattva

    A bodhisattva (Sanskrit: बोधिसत्त्व; Pāli: bodhisatta) is a being on the path to full enlightenment (bodhi) who compassionately refrains from entering final nirvana in order to assist all sentient beings in achieving liberation from suffering. While the term appears in early Buddhist texts primarily in reference to the Buddha-to-be during his former lives, the bodhisattva…