The Buddha - The Man & The Legend

Central to Buddhism is, off course, the Buddha, the 'Enlightened One'. Universally, the Buddha is taken to be the historical Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, the man who was called Siddhattha (Sanskrit: Siddhartha) and took the clan name Gotama (Sanskrit: Gautama), of the Sakka (Sanskrit: Shakya) people. In Buddhist thought, this individual is of great cosmic significance, and is sometimes also referred to as the Samma-sambuddha, or 'One who has fully awakened in the right way' or 'One who has fully known the right way'. Such a Buddha is extremely rare in the universe. Whole aeons may pass before one is born. Gotama Buddha is one such Samma-sambuddha. The next to attain full enlightenment in such a manner is said to be Maitreya Buddha.

Buddhists have also used the term the Buddha to mean 'one who knows' the Dhamma or basic truth of things. In this way, anyone is a buddha, or has buddha in him or her, who has achieved the goal of the Buddhist path.

Some Buddhists often lay stress on the human nature of the Buddha, i.e. that anyone can be a buddha, and thus attain salvation. Such emphasis usually come from those with a missionary goal. One must not forget, however, that Buddhahood is achieved in human circumstances as the culmination of many, many lives, the penultimate life always being divine. The path to Buddhahood is in fact the striving for perfection over countless lives, reborn in countless forms and conditions of being, mastering countless lessons of life. Traditional Buddhism understands the word Buddha neither man nor god, but one who has transcended the nature of both - the Teacher of gods and men.

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Last modified: October 03, 2001