If you visit a Buddhism temple, you will see some statues of Buddha like those in the above images.
The image on the top indicates Nyorai or Tathagata, the supreme existence in Buddhism. The On the image below is Bosatsu or Bodhisattva, who is next to Buddha.
Both are important and popular deities in Buddhism. They can be seen in most temples.
But do you know what the difference is between Tathagata and Bodhisattva?
In short, Tathagata indicates a person who has been spiritual awakened, whereas Bodhisattva indicates a person who is on the training.
Tathagata are spiritually awoken deities,
because they have no desire for material possessions. Therefore they
don't have accessories and luxury clothes. Bodhisattva wear accessories which means they still have material possession. It also indicates Gotama, the founder of Buddhism, who was an aristocrat in India before he became a saint.
It’s more difficult to explain in English than I thought.
Actually the system of Buddhism deities is a bit more complicated.
<Thank you for correcting me, MarkMcP>
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