Literally meaning awakening being, the term bodhisattva names one who strives toward enlightenment. In early mainstream Buddhist traditions, the term refers specifically to the Buddha in his former lives on his path toward awakening. In Mahayana traditions, it can refer to any practitioner who has generated bodhicitta and taken vows to seek awakening for the sake of all beings. This path is open to everyone, including ordinary practitioners, and many modern Mahayana traditions actively encourage it.
Mahayana literature and art also populate the cosmos with celestial bodhisattvas alongside human aspirants. These beings have advanced so far along the path that their powers rival those of buddhas. Buddhists venerate them as objects of devotion in their own right. Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is one of the most important cosmic bodhisattvas. Tibetan Buddhists know this figure as Chenrezig, while Chinese traditions know the same figure as Guanyin. Avalokiteshvara is worshipped in both male and female forms.