BODHI

(Sanskrit and Pali: awakening, enlightenment), in Buddhism, the final Enlightenment, which puts an end to the cycle of transmigration and leads to Nirvana, or spiritual release; the experience is comparable to the Satori of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The accomplishment of this awakening transformed Siddhartha 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. Mahayana 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 Nirvana in order to work for the salvation of all sentient beings. See also Eightfold Path.