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Buddha

 
Dictionary: Bud·dha2   ('də, bʊd'ə) pronunciation
 
n.
  1. One who has achieved a state of perfect spiritual enlightenment in accordance with the teachings of Buddha.
  2. A representation or likeness of Buddha.

[Sanskrit buddha-, enlightened, past participle of bodhati, he awakes.]


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(Sanskrit; 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.

 
Asian Mythology: Buddha
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“The Buddha” is a term usually applied to the Buddha Sākyamuni (see Buddha Sākyamuni) otherwise known as Gautama Buddha (see Gautama Buddha, Buddhism).

 
WordNet: Buddha
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC)
  Synonyms: the Buddha, Siddhartha, Gautama, Gautama Siddhartha, Gautama Buddha

Meaning #2: one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment


 
Dream Symbol: Buddha
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In Western culture Buddha is thought of as a benevolent sage. Unless the dreamer has other, more specific associations, a dream about a Buddha may be a sign that the dreamer desires the blessings of wisdom, insight, or compassion.


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Buddhism Dictionary. A Dictionary of Buddhism. Copyright © 2003, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Asian Mythology. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by David Leeming. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dream Symbol. The Dreams Encyclopedia. 1995 ©Visible Ink Press. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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