Bodhisattva

=== Popular Figures ===
[[File:Sṛṣṭikartā Lokeśvara.jpg|thumb|Sṛṣṭikartā Lokeśvara (Avalokiteshvara in the process of creation), in which the bodhisattva takes on the form of Sṛṣṭikartā (creator) and emanates all the [[Hindu deities|Hindu gods]] for the benefit of sentient beings.]]

Over time, numerous historical Buddhist figures also came to be seen as bodhisattvas in their own right, deserving of devotion. For example, an extensive [[hagiography]] developed around [[Nagarjuna]], the Indian founder of the [[madhyamaka]] school of philosophy. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism consider the [[Dalai Lama]]s and the [[Karmapa]]s to be an emanation of [[Guanyin|Chenrezig]], the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Various [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhist]] schools consider their founding figures like [[Kūkai|Kukai]] and [[Nichiren]] to be bodhisattvas. In Chinese Buddhism, various historical figures have been called bodhisattvas.<ref>Kawamura (ed) 1981, p. 157.</ref>

Furthermore, various [[Hindu deities]] are considered to be bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhist sources. For example, in the [[Karandavyuha Sutra|''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'']], [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]], [[Brahma]] and [[Saraswati]] are said to be bodhisattvas, all emanations of Avalokiteshvara.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. p. 39-40.</ref> Deities like Saraswati (Chinese: ''Biàncáitiān'', 辯才天, Japanese: [[Benzaiten]]) and Shiva (C: ''Dàzìzàitiān'', 大自在天; J: [[Daikokuten]]) are still venerated as bodhisattva devas and [[dharmapala]]s (guardian deities) in [[East Asian Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hodous |first1=Lewis |title=A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms: with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index |last2=Soothill |first2=William Edward |date=2004 |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |isbn=0-203-64186-8 |location=London |oclc=275253538}}</ref> Both figures are closely connected with Avalokiteshvara.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Watson, Burton |title=The Lotus Sutra |date=1999 |publisher=Sri Satguru Publications |isbn=81-7030-633-7 |oclc=247391640}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=MacWilliams |first=Mark W. |date=1997 |title=Temple Myths and the Popularization of Kannon Pilgrimage in Japan: A Case Study of Ōya-ji on the Bandō Route |url=https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/2639 |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=24-25 |pages=397}}</ref> In a similar manner, the Hindu deity [[Harihara]] is called a bodhisattva in the famed ''[[Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī]],'' which states: "O Effulgence, World-Transcendent, come, oh [[Hari]], the great bodhisattva."<ref>Chandra, Lokesh (1988). ''The Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara,'' pp. 130-133. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. {{ISBN|81-7017-247-0}}.</ref>

The empress [[Wu Zetian]] of the Tang dynasty, was the only female ruler of China. She used the growing popularity of Esoteric Buddhism in China for her own needs. Though she was not the only ruler to have made such a claim, the political utility of her claims, coupled with sincerity make her a great example. She built several temples and contributed to the finishing of the [[Longmen Grottoes|Longmen Caves]] and even went on to patronise Buddhism over [[Confucianism]] or [[Taoism|Daoism]]. She ruled by the title of "Holy Emperor", and claimed to be a Bodhisattva too. She became one of China's most influential rulers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mackerras |first=Colin |date=2003 |title=Review of Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600—1400. Asian Interactions and Comparisons |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23732602 |journal=[[China Review International]] |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=447–449 |jstor=23732602 |issn=1069-5834}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Tansen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50279966 |title=Buddhism, diplomacy, and trade : the realignment of Sino-Indian relations, 600-1400 |date=2003 |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |isbn=0-8248-2593-4 |location=Honolulu |oclc=50279966}}</ref>