(Pāli: bodhisatta; Sanskrit: bodhisattva.) A being resolved upon enlightenment (bodhi). In early non-Mahayana traditions and Theravada, the term bodhisatta (bodhisattva) typically refers to the Buddha in his many lives prior to the life in which he becomes the enlightened Buddha Gotama. In Mahayana traditions, bodhisattva can refer to any being who resolves to develop the perfections required for enlightenment, a path typically taking many, many lives. In Mahayana, bodhisattvas often manifest certain characteristic powers, for which they are sometimes referred to in English as ‘celestial bodhisattvas’ or ‘deities’.