Apratiṣṭhita-nirvāna

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Apratiṣṭhita-nirvāna (Skt., ‘not-fixed nirvāna’). The state, in Mahāyāna Buddhism of one who has attained nirvāna, but suspends final attainment in order to help those who are still on the path to liberation—i.e. a bodhisattva.