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bodhi

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

bodhi (Skt.; Pāli). Term which literally means ‘awakening’, but which is commonly translated as ‘enlightenment’. It denotes the awakening to supreme knowledge, as experienced by the Buddha as he sat under the Bodhi Tree at the age of 35. Technically, the experience of bodhi is said to consists of seven elements known as the ‘limbs of enlightenment’ (bodhyaṅga) and is achieved when the Four Noble Truths are correctly apprehended. According to the earliest sources, Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, and Buddhas all experience the same awakening, but over the course of time the awakening of a Buddha came to be seen as especially profound (see saṃbodhi). See also satori; kenshō.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "bodhi." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "bodhi." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-bodhi.html

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Bodhi

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Bodhi (Skt., Pāli, ‘awakened’). In Hinduism, perfect knowledge, personified as Bodha, a son of Buddhi (intellect).

In Buddhism, it is the experience of enlightenment, which, unlike nirvāna, can be given an approximate description: it is the attainment of perfect clarity of mind in which things are seen as they really are—as in the experience of Gautāma under the tree (hence called Bodhi or Bo tree) through which he became the Buddha. Cf. BODAI.

In later Buddhism, the bodhis are the four stages of the ārya-mārga.

In Mahāyāna, bodhi is wisdom based on insight into the undifferentiated sameness of all appearance.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Bodhi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Bodhi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Bodhi.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Bodhi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Bodhi.html

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