Bodhisattva
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Template:StubIn Buddhism, a bodhisattva is an enlightened person who delays nirvana in order to help others reach Nirvana. Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism have different attitudes towards bodhisattvas. In the Theravada tradition, a person can achieve complete enlightenment as an individual without becoming a bodhisattva. In contrast, Mahayana take a dim view of such individuals and argue that in order to achieve true and complete Nirvana, one must become a bodhisattva.