bodhi

/boh"dee/, n. Buddhism.

supreme knowledge or enlightenment.

[ < Pali, Skt]

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(Sanskrit and Pali: "awakening" or "enlightenment") In Buddhism, the final enlightenment that ends the cycle of death and rebirth and leads to nirvana.

This awakening transformed Siddhartha Gautama into the historical Buddha. Bodhi is achieved by ridding oneself of false beliefs and the hindrance of passions through the discipline of the Eightfold Path. Though not supported in canonical texts, commentaries give a threefold classification of bodhi: that of a perfectly enlightened one, or a Buddha; that of an independently enlightened one; and that of an arhat.

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▪ Buddhism

      (Sanskrit and Pāli: “awakening,” “enlightenment”), in Buddhism, the final Enlightenment, which puts an end to the cycle of transmigration and leads to Nirvāṇa, or spiritual release; the experience is comparable to the Satori of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The accomplishment of this “awakening” transformed Siddhārtha Gautama into a Buddha (an Awakened One).

      The final Enlightenment remains the ultimate ideal of all Buddhists, to be attained by ridding oneself of false beliefs and the hindrance of passions. This is achieved by following the course of spiritual discipline known as the Eightfold Path. Mahāyāna Buddhism, while embracing this ideal, places a high valuation on the compassion of the bodhisattva (one whose essence is bodhi), who postpones his own entrance into Nirvāṇa in order to work for the salvation of all sentient beings. See also Eightfold Path.

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