Bodhi Skt., Pali, lit. “awakened.”
[Hinduism] perfect knowledge.
[Buddhism] [Zen] Bodhis referred originally to the four stages of the supramundane path (ārya-mārga) and was attained through the completion of the thirty-seven prerequisites of enlightenment (bodhipākshika-dharma) and the dissolution of ignorance (avidyā), that is, through realization of the four noble truths.
In Hīnayāna bodhi is equated with the perfection of insight into, and realization of, the four noble truths, which perfection means the cessation of suffering. Here three stages of enlightenment are distinguished: the enlightenment of a noble disciple (shrāvaka), the enlightenment of one who sought only his own enlightenment (pratyeka-buddha) and the enlightenment of a buddha (samyak-sambuddha). The last is equated with omniscience (sarvajñatā) and is called mahābodhi (great enlightenment).
By contrast, in Mahāyāna bodhi is mainly understood as wisdom based on insight into the unity of nirvāna and samsāra as well as of subject and object. It is described as the realization of prajñā, awakening to one’s own buddha-nature or buddha-essence (busshō), insight into the essential emptiness (shūnyatā) of the world, or omniscience and perception of suchness (tathatā).
The Mahāyāna also recognizes three kinds of bodhi: enlightenment for oneself (the enlightenment of an arhat), liberation for the sake of others (enlightenment of a bodhisattva), and the complete enlightenment of a buddha. The individual Mahāyāna schools interpret this concept variously according to their views.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Books on Bodhi
External links