Buddha

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Buddha (Sanskrit, Pali, others: literally Awakened One or Enlightened One, from the root: √budh, "to awaken") is a title used in Buddhism for anyone who has discovered enlightenment (bodhi), although it is commonly used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who was born & lived in India.

Related Topics:
Sanskrit - Pali - Buddhism - Enlightenment - Siddhartha Gautama - India

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A Buddha is one who rediscovers the Dharma (that is, truth; the nature of reality, of the mind, of the affliction of the human condition and the correct "path" to liberation) by enlightenment, which comes to be after skillful or good karma (action) is perfectly maintained and all negative unskillful actions are abandoned.

Related Topics:
Dharma - Enlightenment - Karma

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Buddhism recognises three types of Buddha, of which the simple term Buddha is normally reserved for the first type, that of Samyaksam-buddha (Pali: Samma-Sambuddha). The attainment of Nirvana is exactly the same, but a Samyaksam-buddha expresses more qualities and capacities than the other two.

Related Topics:
Three types of Buddha - Nirvana

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Generally, Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama, who lived from about 623 BC to 543 BC and attained enlightenment around 588 BC, to have been the first or the last Buddha. (According to scriptures available, Gautam Buddha was the 28th Buddha. There were 27 buddhas before him. Gautam the buddha foretold the name of 29th Buddha as "Maithrieya". ) From the standpoint of classical Buddhist doctrine, the word Buddha denotes a type of person of which there have been many in the course of cosmic time. Hence, Gautama Buddha (known by the religious name Shakyamuni) is one member of a spiritual lineage of Supreme Buddhas going back to the dim past and forward into the distant future.

Related Topics:
623 BC - 543 BC - 588 BC - Buddhist

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Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, did not claim any divine status for himself, nor did he assert that he was inspired by any god. He claimed to be a teacher to guide those who chose to listen, rather than a personal saviour. Gautama Buddha stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant spirits and gods are themselves subject to karma in decaying heavens. The Buddha is solely an exemplar, guide, and teacher for those sentient beings who must tread the path themselves, attain spiritual Awakening, and see truth and reality as they are.

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The awakened bliss of Nirvana, according to Buddhism, is available to all beings—although orthodoxy holds that one must first be born as a human being. Emphasizing this universal availability, Buddhism refers to many Buddhas and also to many bodhisattvas - beings committed to Enlightenment, who vow to

Related Topics:
Nirvana - Bodhisattva

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• (from the Nikaya view) postpone their own Nirvana in order to assist others on the path, or
• (from the Mahayana view) secure Awakening/Nirvana for themselves first and thereafter continue to liberate all other beings from suffering for all time.

In the holy Tripitaka—the core sacred texts of Buddhism—the numerous past Buddhas and their lives are spoken of, along with the next Buddha-to-be, who is named Maitreya.

Related Topics:
Tripitaka - Sacred text - Maitreya

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Buddha: Eternal Buddha ►