Although Buddhism does advocate being vegetarian and leading a contemplative life, Mahayana Buddhism – unlike Theravada Buddhism -- is extremely liberal and humanistic. We should not think the bodhisattvas are celestial beings, sitting high above, who have no afflictions and cannot be bothered with the mundane world. Just as a picture of a person is not the real person, the statues and paintings of the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the monasteries are not the actual buddhas and bodhisattvas, merely their representation. A real bodhisattva is a person who is willing to give selflessly of him or herself for the benefit of others. Anyone who practices Mahayana Buddhism can become a bodhisattva. It does not necessarily have to do with eating vegetarian food and living a life of contemplation, or with a person’s work, appearance, and status. It is about what’s in the mind.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - Buddhism and the Business World – Six Standards in a Corporate Culture