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Buddha

A Dictionary of Buddhism | Date: 2004

Buddha (Skt.; Pāli). This is not a personal name but an epithet of those who have achieved enlightenment (bodhi), the goal of the Buddhist religious life. Buddha comes from the Sanskrit root ‘budh’, meaning to awaken, and the Buddhas are those who have awakened to the true nature of things as taught in the Four Noble Truths. By contrast, the mass of humanity is seen as asleep and unaware of the reality of the human condition. Doctrinally, the Buddhas are those who have attained nirvāṇa by destroying the defilements known as āśravas. Accordingly they are free of sensual craving (kāma), becoming (bhava), and ignorance (avidyā). Because they have eradicated all craving they have escaped from the round of cyclic existence (saṃsāra) and will never again be reborn. For Theravāda Buddhism, a Buddha is simply a human being who has undergone a profound spiritual transformation. In Mahāyāna thought, by contrast, the concept of the Buddha developed in various ways, notably in the doctrine of the Buddha's ‘three bodies’ (trikāya). In terms of this teaching, the Buddha is seen as a cosmic being who from time to time manifests himself in human form.

An important function of a Buddha is to act as a teacher, leading others to salvation by expounding the Dharma. The exception to this is the ‘private Buddha’ (Pratyekabuddha), who achieves enlightenment but does not teach. Such a Buddha is considered inferior to the ‘fully enlightened Buddha’ (samyak-saṃbuddha) who teaches, and, according to Mahāyāna doctrine, is omniscient (sarvajñā) and possesses ten special powers (daśa-bala). Buddhas are distinguished from other enlightened beings such as Arhats by virtue of the fact that they discover the truth (Dharma) themselves, rather than hearing it from another. All schools of Buddhism believe there have been many Buddhas in the past and there will be more in the future, for instance Maitreya. The Mahāpadāna Sutta of the Pāli Canon mentions six previous Buddhas, and the Buddhavaṃsa gives a list of 24. In all these cases a similar stereotypical biography is supplied. It is generally believed that there can never be more than one Buddha in any particular era, and the ‘historical Buddha’ of the present era was Siddhartha Gautama. Numerous ahistorical Buddhas make an appearance in Mahāyāna literature, notably the five Jinas who are popular in tantric schools.


© A Dictionary of Buddhism 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004.