A bodhisattva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi or Buddhahood, which means "awakening" or "enlightenment". In Early Buddhist schools and modern Theravāda Buddhism, a bodhisattva refers to someone who has made a resolution to become a Buddha and has also received a confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha that this will be so. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a bodhisattva refers to anyone who has generated bodhicitta, a spontaneous wish and compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Mahayana bodhisattvas are spiritually heroic persons that work to attain awakening and are driven by great compassion. A bodhisattva is an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of Buddha. They are enlightened beings who have put off entering paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment. The term "bodhisattva" comes from two Sanskrit words: "bodhi," meaning "enlightenment," and "sattva," which means "being".