Characteristics of the Term Bodhisattva in the Saddhar-mapuṇḍarīka: Bodhi-saTTva vs Bodhi-saTvan

In his Glossary of Dharmarakṣa’s Translation of the Lotus Sutra [Saddharma­puṇḍarīka], Seishi Karashima describes a 開士 (kāi-shì) as “a man, who is on the way to enlightenment”. The term 開士 (kāi-shì) is generally accepted to be an older translation of 菩薩 (pú sà; Bodhisattva). The question remains as to why the words 開士 and 菩薩 are distinguished in Dharmarakṣa’s version, even though both meanings are Bodhisattva. How was a Bodhisattva understood when Dharmarakṣa made his translation in 286 CE? In this study, I will present the characteristics associated with these usages, and examine the differences between Sanskrit manuscripts (Central Asian manuscript SI P/5 and Gilgit manuscript No. 44 in Delhi collection) and manuscripts in other languages, such as Tibetan. Then, I will present my hypothesis that the root of the difference is related to the rendering of Bodhi-saTTva as Bodhi-saTvan.