Buddha
Buddha (Sanskrit, Pali, others: literally Awakened One or Enlightened One, from the root: √budh, "to awaken") is a title used in Buddhism for anyone who has discovered enlightenment (bodhi), although it is commonly used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
A Buddha is one who rediscovers the Dharma (that is, truth; the nature of reality, of the mind, of the affliction of the human condition and the correct "path" to liberation) by enlightenment, which comes to be after skillful or good karma (action) is perfectly maintained and all negative unskillful actions are abandoned. Buddhism recognises three types of Buddha, of which the simple term Buddha is normally reserved for the first type, that of Samyaksam-buddha (Pali: Samma-Sambuddha). The attainment of Nirvana is exactly the same, but a Samyaksam-buddha expresses more qualities and capacities than the other two.
Generally, Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama, who lived from about 623 BCE to 543 BCE and attained enlightenment around 588 BCE, to have been the first or the last Buddha. Siddartha Gautam born in Lumbini, Nepal, brought the light to the world. From the standpoint of classical Buddhist doctrine, the word Buddha denotes a type of person of which there have been many in the course of cosmic time. Hence, Gautama Buddha (known by the religious name Shakyamuni) is one member of a spiritual lineage of Supreme Buddhas going back to the dim past and forward into the distant future.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, did not claim any divine status for himself, nor did he assert that he was inspired by any god. He claimed to be a teacher to guide those who chose to listen, rather than a personal saviour. Gautama Buddha stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant spirits and gods are themselves subject to karma in decaying heavens. The Buddha is solely an exemplar, guide, and teacher for those sentient beings who must tread the path themselves, attain spiritual Awakening, and see truth and reality as they are.
The awakened bliss of Nirvana, according to Buddhism, is available to all beings—although orthodoxy holds that one must first be born as a human being. Emphasizing this universal availability, Buddhism refers to many Buddhas and also to many bodhisattvas - beings committed to Enlightenment, who vow to
- (from the Nikaya view) postpone their own Nirvana in order to assist others on the path, or
- (from the Mahayana view) secure Awakening/Nirvana for themselves first and thereafter continue to liberate all other beings from suffering for all time.
In the holy Tripitaka—the core sacred texts of Buddhism—the numerous past Buddhas and their lives are spoken of, along with the next Buddha-to-be, who is named Maitreya.
Eternal Buddha
The idea of an everlasting Buddha is a Mahayana notion popularly associated with the Mahayana Buddhist scripture, the Lotus Sutra. That sutra has the Buddha indicate that he became Awakened countless, immeasurable, inconceivable myriads of trillions of aeons ("kalpas") ago and that his lifetime is "forever existing and immortal". From the human perspective, it seems as though the Buddha has always existed. The sutra itself, however, does not directly employ the phrase "eternal Buddha"; yet similar notions are found in other Mahayana scriptures, notably the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, in which the it is said the Buddha presents himself as the eternal ("nitya"/ "sasvata"), unchanging, blissful, pure Self (Atman) who, as the Dharmakaya, knows of no beginning or end. The All-Creating King Tantra additionally contains a panentheistic vision of Samantabhadra Buddha as the eternal, primordial Buddha, the Awakened Mind of bodhi, who declares: "From the primordial, I am the Buddhas of the three times [i.e. past, present and future]." The notion of an eternal Buddha perhaps finds resonance with the earlier idea of eternal Dharma/Nirvana, of which the Buddha is said to be an embodiment.
The Elder's school of Buddhism which preserves the original teachings of the Buddha from the first great recital (the second led way to the dividence of Theravada and Mahayana) holds great value in the Master's word that 'none is eternal', and believes the life of an enlightened one is the one thing that indeed has an end.
Also appearing in Theravada is the notion of 'Anathma' in the 'trilakshana'(the three details of reality), this states that there is nothing definite about one that passes from one life to the next and denies the existence of a soul. The concept in place of the soul is the 'Bhava' which is in essence what generates thoughts and emotion.
Buddha statues
Buddhas are frequently represented in the form of statues. Commonly seen designs include:
Most depictions of Buddha contain a certain number of markings, which are considered the signs of his enlightenment. These signs vary regionally, but three are common:
- A protuberance on the top of the head (denoting superb mental accuity)
- Long earlobes (denoting superb perception)
- A third eye (also denoting superb perception)
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.
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