There are many Buddhas in the past, present, and future; Buddhahood is achieved by sentient beings. A bodhisattva is one who is in the process of going from the stage of sentient being to Buddhahood. Bodhisattvas help Buddhas and work with Buddhas to deliver sentient beings. Deities protect the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha—so that the Buddhadharma may be propagated smoothly and numerous beings may be delivered. That is why in monasteries of Mahayana Buddhism there are many statues of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities.