In
Buddhism, a (
Sanskrit: ''Awakened'') is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), and has experienced
Nirvana.
In the
Pali Canon and the
Theravada tradition, the term 'buddha' usually refers to anyone who has become enlightened (i.e., awakened to the truth, or ''
Dharma'') on their own, without a teacher to point out the
Dharma, in a time when the teachings on the
Four Noble Truths or the
Eightfold Path do not exist in the world. By comparison, those who awaken due to the teachings given by a Buddha are known as
Arahants, a title also applied to Buddhas. Arahants and Buddhas are the same in the most fundamental aspects of Liberation (
Nirvana), but differ in their
paramis.
In the
Mahayana tradition, the definition of Buddha extends to any being who becomes fully awakened. The Theravada
Arhant would be considered a kind of Buddha (although not generally by Mahayana Buddhism itself) in this Mahayana sense, and this usage also occurs once in later (
12th century) Theravada literature.
Buddhists do not consider
Siddhartha Gautama to have been the only Buddha. The
Pali Canon refers to many previous ones (see
List of the 28 Buddhas), while the
Mahayana tradition additionally has many Buddhas of celestial, rather than historical, origin (see
Amitabha or
Vairocana as examples). A common Buddhist belief across all Buddhism is that the next Buddha will be one named
Maitreya (Pali: Metteyya).
Types of Buddha
Main articles: Types of Buddha
In the
Pali Canon, there are considered to be two types of buddha: samyaksambuddhas (Pali: sammasambuddhas) and pratyekabuddhas (Pali: paccekabuddhas).
# Samyaksambuddhas attain buddhahood, then decide to teach others the truth they have discovered. They lead others to awakening by teaching the
Dharma in a time or world where it has been forgotten.
Siddhartha Gautama is considered a samyaksambuddha. (See also the
List of the 28 Buddhas (all of whom are samyaksambuddhas).) In order for one to become a Samyaksambuddha one must practice the 10 parami which are perfections that are attributed to all Samyaksambuddhas. If one has the 10 parami and attains Buddhahood then he can be considered "perfectly enlightened" and fit to preach the Dharma.
# Pratyekabuddhas, sometimes called 'silent Buddhas' are similar to samyaksambuddhas in that they attain
nirvana and acquire many of the same powers as a samyaksambuddha, but are unable to teach what they have discovered. They are considered second to the samyaksambuddhas in spiritual development. They do ordain others; their admonition is only in reference to good and proper conduct (abhisamācārikasikkhā). In some texts, the pratyekabuddhas are described as those who understand the Dharma through their own efforts, but obtain neither omniscience nor mastery over the 'fruits' (phalesu vasībhāvam).
[1]
The disciple of a samyaksambuddha is called a
savaka ("hearer" or "follower") or, once enlightened, an
arahant. These terms have slightly varied meanings but can all be used to describe the enlightened disciple. ''Anubuddha'' is a rarely used term, but is used by the Buddha in the ''Khuddakapatha''
[1] to refer to those who become Buddhas after being given instruction. Enlightened disciples attain nirvana and parinirvana as the two types of Buddha do.
Arahant is the term most generally used for them, though it is also applicable to Buddhas.
One 12th century Theravadin commentary uses the term 'savakabuddha' to describe the enlightened disciple. According to this text there are three types of buddhas. In this case, however, the common definition of the meaning of the word buddha (as one who discovers the Dharma without a teacher) no longer applies.
Characteristics of a Buddha
Nine characteristics
Some Buddhists meditate on (or contemplate) the Buddha as having nine characteristics:
#a worthy one (Skt: ''arhat'')
#perfectly self-enlightened (Skt: '')
#perfected in knowledge and conduct (Skt: '' )
#well gone (Skt: ''sugata'')
#unsurpassed knower of the world (Skt: ''anuttara-loka-vid'')
#unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed (Skt: '')
#teacher of the gods and humans (Skt: '')
#the Enlightened One (Skt: ''buddha'')
#the Blessed One or fortunate one (Skt: ''bhagavat'')
These characteristics are frequently mentioned in the
Pali Canon, and are chanted daily in many Buddhist monasteries.
Spiritual realizations
All Buddhist traditions hold that a Buddha has completely purified his mind of desire, aversion and ignorance, and that he is no longer bound by
Samsara. A Buddha is fully awakened and has realized the ultimate truth, the non-dualistic nature of life, and thus ended (for himself) the
suffering which unawakened people experience in life.
The Nature of the Buddha
The various Buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the nature of Buddha (see below).
Pali Canon: The Buddha was human
From the
Pali Canon found in
Theravada Buddhism emerges the view that the
Buddha was human, endowed with the greatest psychic powers (
Kevatta Sutta). The body and mind (the five
khandhas) of a Buddha are impermanent and changing, just like the body and mind of ordinary people. However, a Buddha recognizes the unchanging nature of the
Dharma, which is an eternal principle and an unconditioned and timeless phenomenon. This view is common in the Theravada school, and the other
early Buddhist schools.
It is however important to note that in the
Pali Canons Gautama Buddha is known as being a "teacher of the gods and humans", superior to both the gods and humans in the sense of having
nirvana or the greatest bliss (whereas the
devas or gods of the
Vedic era were still subject to anger, fear, sorrow, etc.).
Eternal Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism
Main articles: Eternal Buddha
In some sutras found in
Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha teaches that the Buddha is no longer essentially a human being but has become a being of a different order altogether and that, in his ultimate transcendental "body/mind" mode as
Dharmakaya, he has eternal and infinite life, is present in all things (i.e., is "the boundless
dharmadhatu", according to the
Nirvana Sutra), and is possessed of great and immeasurable qualities. In the
Mahaparinirvana Sutra the Buddha declares: "Nirvana is stated to be eternally abiding. The Tathagata [Buddha] is also thus, eternally abiding, without change." This is a particularly important metaphysical and soteriological doctrine in the
Lotus Sutra and the
Tathagatagarbha sutras. According to the Tathagatagarbha sutras, failure to recognize the Buddha's eternity and - even worse - outright denial of that eternity, is deemed a major obstacle to the attainment of complete awakening (
bodhi).
For the Tibetan Buddhist master,
Dolpopa, and his
Jonangpa School, the Buddha is to be understood as the wondrous and holy wish-fulfilling Essence of all things, beyond comprehension:
"Buddha - an essence of immeasurable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, excellent exalted body, wisdom, qualities, and activities extremely wondrous and fantastic - is vast like space and the holy source, giving rise to all that is wished by sentient beings like a wish-granting jewel, a wish-granting tree ..." (Dolpopa, ''Mountain Doctrine'', tr. by Jeffrey Hopkins, Snow Lion Publications, 2006, p. 424).
The Buddha as compared to God
Main articles: God in Buddhism
A common misconception among Westerners views the Buddha as the Buddhist counterpart to “
God”; Buddhism, however, is non-theistic (i.e., in general it does not teach the existence of a supreme creator god (see
God in Buddhism) or depend on any supreme being for enlightenment; the Buddha is a guide and teacher who points the way to nirvana). The commonly accepted definition of the term "God" describes a being that not only rules but actually created the universe (see
origin belief). Such ideas and concepts are disputed by the Buddha and Buddhists in many Buddhist discourses. In Buddhism, the supreme origin and creator of the universe is not a god, but rather causes and conditions obscured by time.
However, certain Mahayana sutras (such as the
Nirvana Sutra and the
Lotus Sutra) and especially such tantras as the
Kunjed Gyalpo Tantra give expression to a vision of the Buddha as the omnipresent, liberative essence and deathless Reality of all things and thus, to that extent, draw close to panentheistic conceptions of godhead.
Depictions of the Buddha in art
Buddha statues at Shwedagon Paya
Jade Buddha statue at Shwedagon Paya
Buddhas are frequently represented in the form of statues and paintings. Commonly seen designs include:
★ the Seated Buddha
★ the Reclining Buddha
★ the Standing Buddha
★ ''Hotei'' or ''
Budai'', the obese Laughing Buddha, usually seen in
China (This figure is believed to be a representation of a medieval Chinese monk who is associated with
Maitreya, the future Buddha, and is therefore technically not a Buddha image.)
★ the Emaciated Buddha, which shows Siddhartha Gautama during his extreme ascetic practice of starvation.
The Buddha statue shown calling for rain is a pose common in
Laos.
Markings
Most depictions of Buddha contain a certain number of ''markings'', which are considered the signs of his enlightenment. These signs vary regionally, but two are common:
★ a protuberance on the top of the head (denoting superb mental acuity)
★ long earlobes (denoting superb perception)
In the
Pali Canon there is frequent mention of a list of
32 physical marks of Buddha.
Hand-gestures
The poses and hand-gestures of these statues, known respectively as
asanas and
mudras, are significant to their overall meaning. The popularity of any particular mudra or asana tends to be region-specific, such as the ''
Vajra'' (or ''Chi Ken-in'') mudra, which is popular in
Japan and
Korea but rarely seen in
India. Others are more common; for example, the ''Varada'' (Wish Granting) mudra is common among standing statues of the Buddha, particularly when coupled with the ''Abhaya'' (Fearlessness and Protection) mudra.
References
'Cited references'
1. Ratanasutta:56
'General references'
★ ''What the Buddha Taught'' (Grove Press, Revised edition July 1974), by
Walpola Rahula
★ ''Buddha - The Compassionate Teacher'' (2002), by K.M.M.Swe
See also
External links
★
About Buddha - Excerpts about the life of Buddha from ''Introduction to Buddhism''
★
Very extensive database of sutras and other Buddhist articles
★
Information on Buddha's lists
★
Was Buddha a re-incarnation of Lord Krishna? Discussion by a 7000 member community from orkut.com
★
Ancient Buddhist art at the Cincinnati Art Museum
★
Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery - Sri Lanka
★
Free dhamma talks and articles
★
The Buddha and His Dhamma
★
Hundreds of free Buddhist talks and a huge forum.
★
Buddhist Studies
★
E-Sangha Buddhism Portal
★
Ancient Asian WorldHistory, culture and archeology of the ancient Asian continent
★
About Buddha - the Founder of Buddhism
★
The Life of the Buddha in 80 Scenes from the Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar
★
Songs and Meditations of the Tibetan Dhyani Buddhas
★
The Complete Text of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, on the eternal nature of the Buddha
★
Gautama the Buddha - Info from the website of the vipassana meditation technique as taught by
S. N. Goenka.
★
Friends of the Western Buddhist Order- Worldwide Non-Sectarian Buddhist Community.
★
Images of Buddha - worldwide submitted photos
★
Life of Gautama Buddha - Free Audio Books
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