bodhisattva

In Mahayana Buddhism, a person who has achieved enlightenment , but has who has chosen to remain in this world to help those who are suffering, instead of going on to nirvana . This is the highest ideal. Kuan Yin is an important Chinese bodhisattva; her full name means "Hearing World's Cries Bodhisattva." Amitabha Buddha is an important Bohisattva in the Mahayana form of Buddhism called Pure Land. The idea of the bodhisattva should be contrasted to the arhat of Theravada Buddhism.