This thesis consists of seven chapters. It is designed to survey andanalyse the teachings of the Bodhisattva ideal and its gradual developmentin selected Buddhist scriptures. The main issues related to the evolution ofthe teachings of the Bodhisattva ideal. The Bodhisattva doctrine andpractice are examined in six major stages. These stages correspond to thescholarly periodisation of Buddhist thought in India, namely (1)Bodhisattva's qualities and career in the early scriptures, (2) the debatesco