What Is a Bodhisattva?
By The Chitta Team
You may have heard this word recently. Maybe in the context of monks walking for peace. Maybe on a podcast or in a book. It sounds exotic, but the idea behind it is one of the most powerful in all of Buddhism — and possibly one of the most radical ideas in any spiritual tradition.
A bodhisattva is someone who has made a decision: I will work toward awakening not just for myself, but for every living being.
Let that land for a moment. Not just your family. Not just your community or country. Every being — every human, every animal, every form of life — without exception, without limit, without end.
In the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, this aspiration is called bodhichitta, often translated as "the awakening mind" or "the mind of enlightenment." It has two aspects: the wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings, and the commitment to actually walk the path that gets you there.
Shantideva, the 8th-century Indian monk who wrote The Way of the Bodhisattva, described the arising of bodhichitta as the single most significant event that can occur in a person's life. Greater than any worldly success. Greater than any personal spiritual experience. Because in that moment, you shift from working for one to working for all.
The bodhisattva path isn't a title you receive. It's a direction you choose, again and again, in each moment. When you're patient with someone who frustrates you — that's the path. When you choose honesty over convenience — that's the path. When you hold someone else's suffering in your awareness without turning away — that's the path.
The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, written by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo in 14th-century Tibet, lays this out in 37 concise verses. Each one describes a situation you might actually face in daily life and how a bodhisattva would respond. It's practical, direct, and startlingly relevant to modern life.
You don't need to be a monk to walk this path. You don't need to be Buddhist. The bodhisattva ideal is simply the recognition that your freedom is bound up with everyone else's — and the willingness to act on that recognition.
Chitta is a study companion, not a substitute for a teacher. If these teachings resonate with you and you wish to deepen your understanding through practice, we encourage you to seek guidance from a qualified teacher in a recognized Buddhist lineage.