Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who postpone their own salvation in order to help all sentient beings. The bodhisattva is an ideal type, not a depiction of an historical person like the Buddha. Bodhisattvas have some of the characteristics of Christian saints. They are compassionate figures who help worshipers.

How do Bodhisattvas help others?

Bodhisattvas are beings who have attained enlightenment and who aim to help others to achieve it too. When people achieve enlightenment, they become free from samsara , rebirth and suffering. Due to Bodhisattvas' aim of helping others to achieve enlightenment, they are often depicted in Buddharupas.

What is Buddhism's purpose?

The ultimate goal of the Buddhist path is release from the round of phenomenal existence with its inherent suffering. To achieve this goal is to attain nirvana, an enlightened state in which the fires of greed, hatred, and ignorance have been quenched.