Buddha

A stone image of the Buddha.

In Buddhism, a Buddha (Sanskrit, Pāli) is any being who has become fully awakened or enlightened, has permanently overcome anger, greed, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering, better known as Nirvana. It is commonly used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism. Buddha literally means "awakened" or "that which has become aware". It is the past participle of the Sanskrit root budh, i.e. "to awaken", "to know", or "to become aware". The word Buddha is simply a title that means 'The Awakened One'.

A typical misconception tends to link Buddha as the Buddhist counterpart of the entity known as God; however, Buddhism is non-theistic, in the sense of not generally teaching the existence of a supreme Creator God (see God in Buddhism) or depending on any supreme being for enlightenment, in Buddhism, Buddha is a guide and teacher who points the way. The commonly accepted definition of the term "God" refers to a being who not only rules but actually created the Universe in the Beginning. Such ideas and concepts are disputed by Buddha and Buddhists in many of his discourses. The supreme origin and creator of our world and universe isn't God in Buddhism, but Avidya or ignorance. Buddhists try to dispel this darkness through constant practice, wisdom and compassion known as prajna.

In the Pali Canon Buddha refers to anyone who has become Enlightened (i.e. having 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. Later teachings of the Mahayana have sometimes widened this meaning to also include the disciples of a Buddha as a separate type of Buddha.

Generally, Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the only Buddha. In the Pali Canon there is a mention of Gautama Buddha as being the 28th Buddha (see List of the 28 Buddhas). A common buddhist belief is that the next Buddha will be one named Maitreya.

Buddhism teaches that anyone can become awakened and experience Nirvana. Theravada Buddhism teaches that one doesn't need to become a Buddha to become awakened and experience Nirvana, since an Arahant also has those qualities. Some Buddhist texts such as the Lotus Sutra imply that all beings will become Buddhas at some point in time.

Types of Buddhas

In the Pali Canon, there are considered to be two types of Buddhas: Samyaksambuddha (Sammasambuddha) and Pratyeka Buddha (Paccekabuddha).
1. Samyaksambuddhas (Pali: Sammasambuddha) attains Buddhahood and decides to teach others the truth that he has discovered. They lead others to awakening by teaching the Dharma in a time or world where it has been forgotten or has not been taught before. The Historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is considered a Samyak-sambuddha. See also the list of 28 sammasambuddhas

2. Pratyekabuddhas (Pali: Paccekabuddha), sometimes called Silent Buddhas) are similar to Samyaksambuddhas in that they attain Nirvana and acquire the same powers as a Sammasambuddha does, but they choose not to teach what they have discovered. :They are second to the Buddhas in their spiritual development. They do ordain others; their admonition is only in reference to good and proper conduct (abhisamācārikasikkhā).

In some texts, he is described as one who understands the Dharma by his own efforts, but does not obtain omniscience nor mastery over the Fruits (phalesu vasībhāvam).[1]

3. Shravakabuddhas, (PaliSavakbuddha or Anubuddha), Disciples of a Sammasambuddha are called Savakas (hearers or followers) or Arahants (Noble One). These terms have slightly varied meanings but can all be used to describe the enlightened disciple. Anubuddha is a rarely used term, but was used by the Buddha in the Khuddakapatha Ratanasutta:56 as to those who become Buddha's after being given instruction. Enlightened disciples attain Nirvana as the two types of Buddhas do. The most generally used term for them is Arahant.

Some Mahayana scriptures (and one 12th century Theravadin commentary) use the term Shravakabuddha to describe the enlightened disciple. According to these scriptures there are 3 types of Buddhas. In this case, however, the common definition of the meaning of the word Buddha (as one who discovers the Dhamma without a teacher) does not apply any more.

Characteristics of a Buddha

Nine characteristics

Buddhists meditate on (or contemplate) the Buddha as having nine characteristics:

"The Blessed One is::#a worthy one:#perfectly self enlightened:#stays in perfect knowledge:#well gone:#unsurpassed knower of the world:#unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed :#teacher of the Divine Gods and humans :#the Enlightened One:#the Blessed One or fortunate one

These 9 characteristics are frequently mentioned in the Pali Canon, and are chanted daily in many Buddhist monasteries.

Spiritual realizations

All traditions hold that a Buddha has completely purified his mind of greed, aversion and ignorance, and that he has put an end to samsara. A Buddha is fully awakened and has realized the ultimate truth of life (Dharma), and thus ended (for himself) the suffering which unawakened people experience in life. Also, a Buddha is complete in all spiritual powers that a human being can develop, and posesses them in the highest degree possible.

The Nature of Buddha

The various buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the nature of Buddha.

Pali Canon: Buddha was human

From the Pali Canon emerges the view that 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.

Eternal Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism

Some schools of Mahayana Buddhism believe that the Buddha is no longer essentially a human being but has become a being of a different order altogether and that the Buddha, in his ultimate transcendental "body/mind" mode as Dharmakaya, has an eternal and infinite life (see eternal Buddha) 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 recognise the Buddha's eternity and - even worse - outright denial of that eternity is deemed a major obstacle to the attainment of complete Awakening (bodhi).

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:
* Seated Buddha
* Reclining Buddha
* Standing Buddha
Hotei, 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 it is therefore not technically a Buddha image.
* The 'Emaciated Buddha', which shows Siddartha 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 accuity)
* 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 universally 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.