   #copyright

Buddha

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Religious figures and
leaders

   Seated Buddha, from the Chinese Tang dynasty, Hebei province, ca. 650
   CE. Buddhism in China is of the Mahayana tradition, with popular
   schools today being Pure Land and Zen.
   Enlarge
   Seated Buddha, from the Chinese Tang dynasty, Hebei province, ca. 650
   CE. Buddhism in China is of the Mahayana tradition, with popular
   schools today being Pure Land and Zen.

   In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become
   fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and
   ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering.
   Buddhists consider enlightenment, also called nirvana (Pali nibbana),
   the highest form of happiness. Siddhartha Gautama (Pali Siddhattha
   Gautama), the historical founder of Buddhism, is often referred to as
   "Buddha", or "the Buddha". The word buddha literally means "awakened"
   or "that which has become aware". It is the past participle of the
   Sanskrit root budh, meaning "to awaken", "to know", or "to become
   aware". Buddha as a title may be translated as "The Awakened One".

   The teachings of the Buddha are called the Dharma (Pali: Dhamma). The
   Dharma teaches that all suffering arises from attachment, particularly
   attachment to worldly desires. Nirvana is attained by learning to
   achieve peace of mind by overcoming the attachment one has to various
   material objects as well as emotional desires such as envy, greed,
   lust, and pride.

   A common misconception views 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; 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 Buddha and Buddhists in many Buddhist
   discourses. In Buddhism, the supreme origin and creator of the universe
   is not a god, but Avidya (ignorance). Buddhists try to dispel this
   darkness through constant practice, compassion and wisdom (known as
   prajna).

   In the Pali Canon, the term 'buddha' 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.

   Generally, Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been
   the only buddha. The Pali Canon refers to Gautama Buddha at least once
   as the 28th Buddha (see List of the 28 Buddhas). A common Buddhist
   belief is that the next Buddha will be one named Maitreya (Pali:
   Metteyya).

   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
   (Sanskrit: Arhat) also has those qualities. Some Buddhist texts (e.g.,
   the Lotus Sutra) imply that all beings will become Buddhas at some
   point in time.

Types of Buddha

   In the Pali Canon, there are considered to be two types of buddha:
   samyaksambuddhas (Pali: sammasambuddhas) and pratyekabuddhas (Pali:
   paccekabuddhas).

   1. 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 or has not
   been taught before. Siddhartha Gautama is considered a samyaksambuddha.
   (See also the List of the 28 Buddhas (all of whom are
   samyaksambuddhas).)

   2. Pratyekabuddhas, sometimes called 'silent Buddhas') are similar to
   samyaksambuddhas in that they attain nirvana and acquire the same
   powers as a samyaksambuddha, but choose not 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).

   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 was used by the Buddha
   in the Khuddakapatha 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.

   One 12th century Theravadin commentary uses the term 'savakabuddha' to
   describe the enlightened disciple. According to this scripture 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. Mainstream Theravadin and
   Mahayana scriptures do not recognize this term and state that there are
   only two kinds of Buddhas.
   A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa.
   Enlarge
   A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa.

Characteristics of a Buddha

Nine characteristics

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

          "The Blessed One is:

         1. a worthy one
         2. perfectly self-enlightened
         3. stays in perfect knowledge
         4. well gone
         5. unsurpassed knower of the world
         6. unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed
         7. teacher of the gods and humans
         8. the Enlightened One
         9. the Blessed One or fortunate one.

   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 greed, 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 Buddha

   The various Buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the
   nature of Buddha (see below).

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, in his ultimate transcendental "body/mind" mode as
   Dharmakaya, he has eternal and infinite life 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).

Depictions of the Buddha in art

   Buddha statues at Shwedagon Paya
   Enlarge
   Buddha statues at Shwedagon Paya
   Jade Buddha statue at Shwedagon Paya
   Enlarge
   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, 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.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
