also: しゅうせい · すじょう
all living beings; sentient beings
Buddhist term referring to all sentient beings, including humans, animals, and other life forms. In broader contexts, it can also mean 'the people' or 'mankind'.
Buddhism teaches that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.
This sutra is a teaching for saving suffering sentient beings.
Standard kanji form; the most common reading is しゅじょう.
Alternate reading; less common than しゅじょう.
Obsolete kana usage; marked as out-dated.
From Middle Chinese 衆生 (tsyuwngH sraeng, 'all living beings'), a translation of Sanskrit sattva or Pāli satta. The term is deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy.