bosatsu 菩薩

1　Abbreviation of bodai satta 菩提薩た, a transliteration of the Sanskrit bodhisattva (Pari bodhisatta). Lit. being (sattva) destined to attain enlightenment (bodhi). Initially used in the early Buddhist canon as a designation of *Shaka 釈迦, the founding Buddha of the Buddhist faith, prior to his enlightenment; later it assumed the more general meaning of any being seeking enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism it became the term of designation for the ideal religious practitioner who, although destined for Buddhahood, vows to postpone his own enlightenment until he has helped others to reach this state. Ranked just below a Buddha, a bodhisattva is of central importance in Mahayana Buddhism, which emphasizes the possibility of all beings attaining Buddhahood. In theory anyone who aspires to enlightenment and performs the requisite practices is regarded as a bodhisattva. In popular belief, a bodhisattva is looked upon as a divine being with boundless compassion who assists those in distress. Countless such bodhisattvas are mentioned in the Mahayana sutras. In Japan, the most popular bodhisattvas include *Fugen 普賢, *Jizō 地蔵, *Kannon 観音, *Kokūzō 虚空蔵, *Miroku 弥勒, *Monju 文殊, and *Seishi 勢至. Because Shaka in the period prior to his enlightenment serves as the prototype of the bodhisattva, a bodhisattva is usually represented as a layperson (male or female) with the headwear, garments, and adornments characteristic of a member of the nobility in ancient India. An exception is Jizō who assumes the form of a monk. The upper half of the body of a bodhisattva is often exposed. With the exception of *Batō Kannon 馬頭観音, the bodhisattva is generally endowed with a peaceful countenance. The bodhisattva sometimes have many faces and arms ;*Jūichimen Kannon 十一面観音 and *Senju Kannon 千手観音. In Buddhist iconography, the bodhisattva division, bosatsubu 菩薩部, constitutes one of the main categories into which Buddhist deities are classified ranking second, just after *nyorai 如来.

2　Masks for bugaku *bugakumen 舞楽面, representing a bodhisattva (see 1 above) and used in the now extinct performance called Bosatsu. Certain 13th-century records indicate that the dance had lost popularity at court by then. Most Bosatsu masks found today are Buddhist processional masks, gyōdōmen 行道面, though some at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū 鶴岡八幡宮 in Kanagawa Prefecture, are labeled as belonging to a set of bugaku masks.