Bodhisattva

=== Female Bodhisattvas ===
[[File:『妙法蓮華経』「提婆達多品第十二」の内-“Devadatta,” Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra MET DT5210.jpg|thumb|A 12th century Japanese illustration of the nāga princess offering the jewel to the Buddha, from the ''[[Lotus Sutra]]'']]

[[File:騎龍弁財天-Benzaiten (Goddess of Music and Good Fortune) Seated on a White Dragon MET DP135895.jpg|thumb|Japanese illustration of [[Benzaiten]], seated on a white dragon. Some Japanese sources associate this figure with the naga princess in the Lotus sutra<ref>Faure, Bernard (2015). ''The Fluid Pantheon: Gods of Medieval Japan, Volume 1'', p. 301. University of Hawaii Press.</ref>]]

The bodhisattva [[Prajnaparamita#The wisdom goddess Prajñāpāramitādevi|Prajñāpāramitā-devi]] is a female personification of the perfection of wisdom and the ''Prajñāpāramitā sutras''. She became an important figure, widely depicted in Indian Buddhist art.

[[Guanyin]] (Jp: Kannon), a female form of Avalokiteshvara, is the most widely revered bodhisattva in East Asian Buddhism, generally depicted as a motherly figure.<ref name=":15" /> Guanyin is venerated in various other forms and manifestations, including [[Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]], [[Cintāmaṇicakra]], [[Hayagriva (Buddhism)|Hayagriva]], Eleven-Headed Thousand-Armed Guanyin and Guanyin Of The Southern Seas among others.

Gender variant representations of some bodhisattvas, most notably [[Avalokiteśvara]], has prompted conversation regarding the nature of a bodhisattva's appearance. Chan master [[Sheng Yen]] has stated that [[Mahāsattva]]s such as Avalokiteśvara (known as [[Guanyin]] in Chinese) are androgynous (Ch. 中性; [[pinyin]]: "zhōngxìng"), which accounts for their ability to manifest in masculine and feminine forms of various degrees.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheng Yen |title=圣严法师《观世音菩萨的性别》 |url=http://fodizi.net/qt/shengyanfashi/1299.html |access-date=2019-08-30 |website=佛弟子文库}}</ref>

In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]] or Jetsun Dölma (''rje btsun sgrol ma'') is the most important female bodhisattva.<ref>Beyer, Stephan (2013). ''Magic and Ritual in Tibet: The Cult of Tara'', p. 13. Motilal Banarsidass.</ref> 

Numerous [[Mahayana sutras]] feature female bodhisattvas as main characters and discuss their life, teachings and future Buddhahood. These include ''The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā'' (Tohoku [[Kangyur]] - Toh number 84), ''The Questions of Vimaladattā'' (Toh 77), ''[[Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra|The Lion's Roar of Śrīmālādevī]]'' (Toh 92), ''The Inquiry of Lokadhara'' (Toh 174), ''The Sūtra of Aśokadattā's Prophecy'' (Toh 76), ''The Questions of Vimalaprabhā'' (Toh 168), ''The Sūtra of Kṣemavatī's Prophecy'' (Toh 192), ''The Questions of the Girl Sumati'' (Toh 74), ''The Questions of Gaṅgottara'' (Toh 75), ''The Questions of an Old Lady'' (Toh 171), ''The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī'' (Toh 96), and ''The Sūtra of the Girl Candrottarā's Prophecy'' (Toh 191).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Inquiry of Lokadhara, Introduction |url=https://read.84000.co/translation/toh174.html?id=&part=none |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101195322/https://read.84000.co/translation/toh174.html?id=&part=none |archive-date=2022-01-01 |access-date=2022-01-01 |website=84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha |language=en}}</ref>