Tathāgata

Tathāgata (Pāli, Skt.; Chin., ju-lai; Jap., nyorai; Korean, yotae: usually left untranslated; if translated then as ‘Thus-Gone’ or ‘Truthfinder’). According to Buddhist tradition, the title chosen by the Buddha for himself. The title was intended to convey his identity as a perfect being, though the precise meaning of the word remains problematic. Etymologically it can be read as (i) ‘thus-gone’ (tathā gata) or ‘thus-come’ (tathā āgata), generally taken to mean ‘one who has gone (or come)’ i.e. attained emancipation; (ii) ‘one come (āgata) to the truth (tatha)’. The etymology may itself be suspect, however, since it is not certain whether the word is Skt. or vernacular in origin.