]> 2026-10-16T05:08:53-04:00 Recent Essays/Post-5 0 en The term ''bodhisattva'' is commonly used in Buddhism and has now entered most of the English dictionaries. Who, then, is a bodhisattva, or what makes someone a bodhisattva? In early Buddhism, a bodhisattva is considered to be a rare being of exceptional caliber who can become a buddha. Not many beings were said to have the bodhisattva spiritual gene and to possess the capacity to become a buddha. The rise of Mahāyāna Buddhism changed this narrative. Some Mahāyāna traditions argued that those capable of seeking enlightenment would have one of the three dispositions to pursue a śrāvaka arhathood, pratyekabuddha arhathood, or buddhahood. Many beings of superior caliber and disposition became bodhisattvas, seeking buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. As the opportunity to become a bodhisattva increased, the pantheon of bodhisattvas also grew. Thus, we find many names of bodhisattvas in the Mahāyāna sūtras. Other Mahāyāna traditions took this even further and argued that all beings have the capacity to become a buddha and would eventually become one if they followed the path. Thus, any sentient being could become a bodhisattva, and the bodhisattva disposition was not restricted to any specific type of being. Anyone who generated ''bodhicitta''—the thought of enlightenment—and engaged in the practice of the six perfections was a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva, in brief, is a buddha in the making. The ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the main text on buddha-nature, explains that a bodhisattva or an heir of the Buddha is someone who is born from the seed of faith in the Supreme Vehicle and the womb of blissful samādhi. Their mother is understood to be wisdom, and their nanny is compassion. To discover more on this, read [[Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga_Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra/Root_Verses/Verse_I.34|Verse I.34]]. November 2020, Week 1 File:Bodhisattva.jpg 2020-11-03T05:46:07Z 2459156.7403588 Topic of the Week: Who is a bodhisattva? Even those born as animals have the buddha-nature. Asaṅga 2020-11-03T06:02:39Z 2459156.7518403 2022-04-29T16:06:33Z 2459699.1712153 false Recent Essays/Post-5 Topic of the week/Post-5 0 en Topic of the week/Post-5 REDI 102 en REDI