Bodhisatva
A bodhisatva from the Horyuji
monastery in China (600's AD)
A bodhisatva, in Buddhist religion, was a holy man or woman who was special, closer to God than other people, like a holy man in ancient West Asia, or a saint in Christianity.
Among Buddhists, the main goal of life was to become enlightened so that you could stop being reincarnated when you died, and instead enter nirvana (like Heaven) and be one with God. Bodhisatvas were people who had achieved enlightenment, but chose to stay on Earth anyway so they could help other people towards enlightenment.
In his previous incarnations, before he was the Buddha, the Buddha was a bodhisatva. Some other famous bodhisatvas are Guanyin and Jizo.
