(in Mahayana Buddhism 大乘佛教 a person who is able to reach nirvana (= a state of peace and happiness) but who delays doing this because of the suffering of other humans 菩提萨埵；菩萨 Word OriginSanskrit, ‘a person whose essence is perfect knowledge’, from bodhi ‘perfect knowledge’ (from budh- ‘know perfectly’) + sattva ‘being, essence’.