BODHISATWA

The enlightened one who still keeps rotating in the wheel of existence in one form or other for safeguarding humanity is known as Bodhisatwa. Lord Buddha is believed to have rotated many a times in the wheel of existence as Bodhisatwa before he became Buddha. See Buddha, Gautam. The term Bodhisattva is derived from the words Bodhi, meaning  intelligence or enlightenment and Sattwa  meaning nature or essence. He is therefore the one who has become enlightened, i.e. one who has attained knowledge and insight necessary to enter Nirvana or  blissful detachment from all worldly desires and attachments, and has reached the end of  birth-death cycle, but still refusing to accept Buddhahood because of his desires to guide all mankind to Nirvana. There are several Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, but those most popular in Nepal are Avalokitesvara, Manjusri and Vairapani