Why do Bodhisattvas postpone enlightenment?

Question

I've read that one understanding of Bodhisattvas is that they postpone their enlightenment until all sentient beings have entered Nirvana? That's always struck me as odd. Why would this be necessary? Surely the Buddha was enlightened and he worked for the benefit of all beings too. Or is that an incorrect understanding of what a Bodhisattva is?

Is this a duplicate of "Does Mahayana Buddhism discourage attaining enlightenment under the Gautama Buddha Sasana?"? — ChrisW, Aug 19 '15 at 13:25

score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:51

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This question (more or less) was asked a year ago. I recently gave a fairly fully answer to it.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:51

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answered Aug 19 '15 at 12:19

Jayarava

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Why do Bodhisattvas postpone enlightenment?

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