In the 1st c. A.D., we see major changes in the religions and
worships of India. One of the major religious developments is
the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. Today this is the dominant
division of Buddhism and is best seen in China and Japan. The
original form of Buddhism is called Hinayana or Theravada and
this is followed in Ceylon, Burma, and Siam. An important
development in Mahayana Buddhism was the belief in a
Bodhisattva, or divine savior. Bodhisattva (Sanskrit), Pali
BODHISATTA ("one whose essence is bodhi [enlightenment]"), in
Buddhism, the historical Buddha, Gautama, prior to his
Enlightenment; also, other individuals who are destined to
become buddhas in this or in another life. In Mahayana Buddhism
the decision of the bodhisattva to postpone his own final
entrance into Nirvana in order to alleviate the suffering of
others is given special valuation. The ideal of the bodhisattva
supplants the earlier, Theravada goal of the arhat, or disciple,
who perfects himself by following the Buddha's teachings, a