bodhicitta
Etymology
From Sanskrit बोधिचित्त (bodhicitta, literally “mind of enlightenment, spirit of awakening”), from बोधि (bodhi, “awakening, enlightenment”) + चित्त (cittá, “mind, spirit, reason”).
bodhicitta means in Mahayana Buddhism, the intense ontological aspiration to save all beings by following the bodhisattva path to enlightenment. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
Why “bodhicitta” is a great word
BODHICITTA — [Noun] In Mahayana Buddhism, the profound intention to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. From Sanskrit बोधिचित्त (bodhicitta), from बोधि (bodhi, "awakening, enlightenment") + चित्त (cittá, "mind, spirit, intention"). Unlike "karuṇā," which denotes compassion for suffering, or "bodhi," which names the enlightened state itself, bodhicitta is the catalytic vow that marries wisdom to compassion—the resolve to become a buddha as the ultimate means to liberate others. It is the weary pilgrim building a bridge at the chasm that nearly consumed them, the scholar laboring on a universal cure long after their own healing, the quiet decision to light a lamp not to find one’s own way, but to become a beacon for every other lost traveler. It is the ambition that annihilates ambition.
noun
- In Mahayana Buddhism, the intense ontological aspiration to save all beings by following the bodhisattva path to enlightenment.
- The bodhisattva path to nirvana.