The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (397 page)

In Hindu mythology, a divine seer, son of
Brahm
(or of
Varu
a
, or of
Indra
, or of
Praj
pati
), and eponymous ancestor of the Bh
gu or Bh
rgava clan.

 
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(formerly Bhuvene
vara, ‘Lord of the world’, an epithet of
iva). City in Orissa with many temples dedicated to
iva, especially Lingavaj temple.

 
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(Skt., ‘ground’, ‘level’, ‘stage’). In
Mah
y
na
Buddhism, a stage in a systematized scheme of progress to spiritual maturity and perfection in enlightenment (
nirv
na
). Most schools of Buddhism recognize a scheme of states or stages which are passed through, beginning with conversion and the taking up of the religious life and ending in enlightenment.
Therav
da
lists the four stages of the
arya-m
rga
, and the theory of the bh
mis may be thought of as an outgrowth of this or as an extension of the scheme of progress in the Eightfold Path (
a
tangika-m
rga
) through morality, meditation, and wisdom. The most popular sequence involves a list of ten bh
mis although some texts refer only to seven.
In the 10th stage, the Cloud of the Dharma (
dharmamegha
), the bodhisattva reaches full perfection and is consecrated as a fully enlightened Buddha. He sits, surrounded by bodhisattvas, on a lotus in the Tu
ita heaven. This stage is also known as abhi
eka-bh
mi.