What is the meaning of the term ‘Bodhi’? How many different types of Bodhi are there?

The term ‘Bodhi’ comes from the verbal root ‘budh’, to awaken or to understand. It means awakenment, enlightenment, supreme knowledge. One awakens from the slumber or stupor of the defilements to comprehend the four Noble Truths.

There are three types of Bodhi: Arahat Bodhi (perfected disciple of Buddha) where one perfects the 10 Paramis over countless lives, hears and grasps the Dhamma, and eventually passes it on to others; Pacceka Bodhi (hermit Buddha) where one perfect the 10 Paramis twice, achieves enlightenment without help from others at a time when the teaching is lost in the world, and lives in seclusion; and Sammasambodhi (supremely enlightened Buddha) where one perfects the 10 Paramis three times, receives and grasps the Dhamma, enlightens others and changes the world significantly. The latter includes the 28 historical Buddhas, Buddha Gotama, and the future Lord Metteyya.