bodhicitta

Definition

In Mahayana Buddhism, the intense ontological aspiration to save all beings by following the bodhisattva path to enlightenment.

Etymology

From Sanskrit बोधिचित्त (bodhicitta, literally “mind of enlightenment, spirit of awakening”), from बोधि (bodhi, “awakening, enlightenment”) + चित्त (cittá, “mind, spirit, reason”).

Related Words