noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
spiritual awakening; resolution to seek enlightenment
Buddhist term for the moment one resolves to attain enlightenment; also used more broadly for a firm spiritual resolution.
彼は仏門に入り、発心して修行に励んだ。
He entered the Buddhist priesthood, resolved to seek enlightenment, and devoted himself to training.
決心 is a general term for making up one's mind or deciding, while 発心 specifically refers to a spiritual or religious resolution, especially in a Buddhist context.
From Buddhist terminology, combining 発 (to arise, to set out) and 心 (mind, heart), referring to the arising of the aspiration for enlightenment (bodhicitta).