What is the meaning of Buddha? Concept and Definition of Buddha

Definition, Concept, Meaning, What is Buddha

1 Concept of Buddha

Buddha (in Sanskrit बुद्ध) is an honorific name containing religious which applies to who has managed a full spiritual awakening. The Indian religious framework where Buddhism develops, this awakening implies a State of peace of mind. This happens after transcend the desire or desire (lobha), aversion (dosha) and confusion (moha)'.
In the first written compilation of the Buddhism, the pali canon of Theravada Buddhism, the Buddha refers specifically to those who have awakened to the truth (dharma).
Buddhism relates that Gautama Buddha was not the only Buddha. The Pali canon is mean to Gautama Buddha as the 28.º of a long list that arise at the same time to flowering and subsequent disappearance of his teaching (see the list of the 28 Buddhas). According to Buddhism, the next Buddha will be shown within thousands of years and will be called Maitreya (Pali: Metteyya).
Buddhism teaches that anyone has the innate potential to experience the awakening and the nirvāṇa. Make nirvana involves performing the same nature of a Buddha, but not become a historical Buddha as it was Siddharta Gautama. In Buddhism, theravāda there is the nickname of arhat (noble, worthy) which applies to those who have made these qualities. In later Mahayana Buddhism, the meaning of the word of Buddha will charge much more extensive use, where the word Buddha will be used both to name the historic character of Siddharta, to make mention of the complete realization of the Buddhist path, or to refer to reality as a whole ("Buddha"). The different approaches of different schools as well as translations to Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan, will be the framework for this expansion of meanings.

Types of Buddhas

In the Pali canon, the buddha end joins with other words thus distinguishing peculiarities of a Buddha. In this way, explains three types of Buddha: samyaksambuddhas (in Pali: sammasambuddhas), pratyekabuddhas (in Pali: paccekabuddhas) and Sāvakabuddha.
• samyaksambuddhas: are those who once achieved Buddhahood, they decide to teach others the truth that have been discovered. Also are those who decide on what to do with their own fate, having many options that come from inside and nature, having clear these decisions recently feel able to lead others to Awakening through the teaching of the dharma in a time or world where it has been forgotten or has not been taught yet. Siddhartha Gautama is considered one of the 28 samyaksambuddhas. To become a samyaksabuddha should practice the 10 paramitas or perfections that are attributed to all then it can be considered as «perfectly lit» and is in a position to preach the dharma. The historical character of the Buddha is considered a Samyaksambuddha.
• Pratyekabuddhas: sometimes called «the silent or solitary Buddhas», are similar to the samyaksambuddhas in that have reached nirvana and gained the same realization that they, but have chosen not to teach others explicitly all what you have discovered, they are limited to conduct or moral (abhisamācārikasikkhā) tips. In the Buddhist tradition they are considered inferior to the samyaksambuddhas. In some texts, the pratyekabuddhas are described as those that comprise the dharma through their own efforts, but who do not obtain omniscience nor dominion over the 'fruits' (phalesu phaleshu).
• There is another type of Buddha, although it is a little-used term: Sāvakabuddha

Characteristics of a Buddha

Some Buddhists meditate on (or include) the State of Buddha with ten characteristics:
• worthy or noble
• perfectly autoiluminado
• improved knowledge and behaviour
• glorious or divine
• unsurpassed knowledge of the world
• unsurpassed leader of people
• teacher of gods and humans
• illuminated or transcended
• blessed or lucky
• meet the light and darkness
These characteristics are frequently mentioned in Buddhist scriptures and are recited daily in many Buddhist monasteries.

Spiritual realizations

Besides that a Buddha has purified his mind of desire, aversion and ignorance and is therefore no longer being tied to the samsāra, tradition says that a Buddha has a series of spiritual or supernatural powers. However, although defining are considered secondary according to instructions of the Buddha himself, and thus is mainly noted the fact that a Buddha is someone fully awake who has realized the essential truth: the nature of life. One of the most important features of the Buddha is to be knowledgeable of the light and the darkness.

A Buddha is not a God

In the Pali canon, stresses the idea that Gautama Buddha was a human being. In Buddhism Theravada emphasis also on larger psychic powers (phala, see Kevatta Sutta). Body and mind (the five khandas) of a Buddha are impermanent and changing, as well as 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 other early Buddhist schools.
From Mahayana Buddhism, three facets of a Buddha are considered and which are also those of the perceived reality: nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. These three features are a Trinitarian view of reality to be able to explain it; This is primarily a philosophical and explanatory framework for probing their nature.
A common misunderstanding is that you deemed a Buddha as a God. Buddhism is a religion no-teista. Although Gautama Buddha says about traditional gods, Gautama considered that the issues on the "beyond" are without benefit to the perspective of liberation. So, in general, Buddhists do not consider or speculate on the existence or not of a God, or a Supreme creator. Buddhism does not require this resource to explain how to achieve enlightenment. It regards Buddha as the Guide and teacher who points the way towards the nirvāṇa and not as a deity who must worship. For many Buddhists, achieve enlightenment is a personal responsibility that cannot be left in the hands of a third party, although other Buddhist currents, such as the pure land, rely on the devotional path by invoking de el Buda Amitabha, so this allows them to be reborn in a higher spiritual level.

2. Definition of Buddha

Who was Buddha?

The word Buddha is a ti; chapter or a PPE; teto and not a name. Means 'someone who is awake' in the sense of having "woken up to reality". Ti; chapter describes the achievement of a man called Siddharta Gautama, who lived; 2,500 years ago in the North of the India. When teni; 35 years, after long years of effort, managed to; the lighting; n being in a deep meditació; n. For the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled; for much of the North of the India, spreading his teaching of the path to the lighting; n. His teaching is known in the East as Buddha-Dharma - "the teaching of the enlightened".
Traveling from place to place, the Buddha taught; to numerous disciplinary; pulos, many of whom also achieved this state of lighting; n. They, in turn, taught others and thus an unbroken chain of teaching that continues until the day; of today.
The Buddha was not a God or Prophet of God, nor pled; as a divine being. In Buddhism there is the concept of a Creator God. The Buddha was a human being who, through tremendous efforts, was transformed; and transcended; his limitacio; n human created in the a new order to be: an enlightened being.
The lighting State; n which reached; It has three facets. 1) Is a State of "are; to", of seeing things as they really are. (2) It is a source of "Compasio; n" or love that manifests itself in a constant activity for the benefit of all beings. (3) And is the liberacio; total n of the energi as of the mind and body to be at the service of the fully conscious mind.
The Buddhist concept of the lighting; n is not known in the West where we have limited understandings of the spiritual capacity that life offers. Some scholars interpret it in a sense humani; plastic as to become a human ethical and moral, lacking a-order spiritual qualities. Others understand the goal in terms of a God beyond everything and creator of things, the goal in this case serious comunio; n or attached; n with it. All of these concepts are completely foreign to Buddhism.

That happened; After the death of the Buddha?

Buddhism disappeared; the India thousand years ago (although recently is reviving). Thus; same education expanded; South to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, where "Theravada" form of Buddhism still it continues to flourish. It also spread; North to Ti; bet, China, Mongolia and Japan; n. The forms "Mahayana" of Buddhism practiced in these pai; ses, although in the last century have suffered greatly from the effects of communism and consumerism. In the last century Buddhism has certainly landed in the West and many people have become Buddhists.

Do if the Buddha is not a say; I by Buddhists to bowing to the statue?

In the pai; East ses is a universal custom makes a reverence fi; music a person to show respect. In the past everyone haci; to bow to Kings or emperors. Today I gave; at many pai; ses is still the custom Revere parents, in-laws, school teachers, masters of martial arts or anyone one estimated. In Zen Buddhism, it is normal to bow to the coji; meditació n; n before using it as a sign of gratitude. Thus; the Act of veneracio; n Buddha has nothing to do with divinity: is simply a way of expressing estimacio; n and thanks to another human being that one considers his master.
You can be considered the statues of the Buddha in two ways. Firstly you can understand them as a Yes; symbol of the Buda histo; rico and his spiritual attainments. In this case to revere the statue is a sign of esteem (as already mentioned). The other way to see an image of the Buddha is to look at it as a Yes symbol of your own lighting; n. A day; to your you can also reach the State of a Buddha. In this case to revere the statue is a way to connect emotionally with your own unlimited spiritual potential. Information on "what is

3 Meaning of Buddha

Buddha is the name that has been assigned to the religious reformer of hindu origin, Sidharta Gautama, which gave rise to Buddhism, philosophical doctrine based on renunciation, and who opposed the traditional division of the hindu society, caste-based. 'Buddha' means, wise or illuminated.
He was the son of a powerful and wealthy raja and lived between the years 560 and 480 BCE. He left the family at the age of 29, according to the brahamanes.
You endure tough tests, after which failed to get the four truths: "the reality that the world is pain"; "the pain originates from the desire to", "pain be released through nirvana", "and the way to reach nirvana is the law (dharma)." Nirvana is what allows to free itself from the cycle of suffering, followed by death and new birth.
Never defined God as that for it would be a source of discord among his followers. He led an acetic life, dedicated to meditation and preaching of his ideas, and died leaving a vast legacy in the collective memory and his spirit, but nothing written.
During the reign of Asoka in the 3rd century before Christ, Buddhism, belief that the monarch adopted as their own, was declared the State religion, with great tolerance towards other religions, such as the brahamanismo, which was influenced by Buddhism.
From the 7th century, Buddhism start to lose influence in its territory, India, settled in the rest of Asia, and today gained importance throughout the world.

4 Synonymous with Buddha

Siddharta Gautama (Lumbini, century V - IV BC) ―tambien called Sakyamuni (śākya-muni, the 'Sage of sakia clan') and Buda―, was an important religious nepali, founder of Buddhism.
In Sanskrit language, the term buddha (बुद्ध) means 'I awake, enlightened, intelligent'. 2 3
It is a religious figure sacred to two religions with the largest number of adherents, Buddhism (was the founder of the Buddhist religion and first 'great enlightened») and Hinduism (which considered it an avatar of the God Vishnu).
Although there are many legends, is matched in that was a religious leader known as Siddharta Gautama. He lived in a time of cultural change in which traditional religious procedures of the India is attacked. He was one of the reformers who gave a revivalist impulse in the religious sphere Dharma that spread beyond the borders of the India and ended up becoming one of the great religions of the world, Buddhism.

Dating

Tradition considers that you lived between 543 BC (566 according to others) and the 478 BC approximately. Based on that date, the Buddhists created their own lunar calendar, which was started in the 543 a. C.
However, recent publications do not accept this dating and set his death among the 420 and the 368 BC, 4 5 so if you lived 80 years, would have been born between the 500 and the 448 BC,

First years

Birth

Siddharta was born in a noble family of the clan of the sakia. The name Gautama indicates that it belonged to the gautama-slowly (the lineage of the mythical Sage Gotama). His place of birth was in Lumbini, the Kingdom of Kapilavatthu, a hamlet of the Terai (in the current Nepal) which is at the foot of the Himalayan mountains.
According to oral tradition, Śuddhodana, the father of Siddhartha, was the King who ruled the sakia clan. This is why Buddha is also known as Sakya Muni (śākya-muni, the 'Sage of the shakia').6
His mother Maia Deví was one of the wives of the King. Siddharta was the name chosen for the newborn, which means 'the perfect goal' or 'the goal of the perfect'. The Queen Maia, mother of Siddhartha, died at the birth of his son, who was educated by his aunt Payapati
According to oral tradition, shortly after his birth was visited by the brahman Asita, an ascetic of great reputation by his wisdom and his talent to interpret omens. The brahman wise prophesied that Siddhartha would become a great ruler or a great religious teacher, what shocked Śuddhodana, that he wanted his son to follow his footsteps and that day happens on the throne. Therefore his father protected him from the hardness of life, outside the Palace, so the son to develop his trend toward the spiritual. He thought that the best way to avoid the tendency to religiosity consisted of preventing him from all experience with the side bitter life, so he created in winch him a life of pleasures and lowest possible contact with the suffering of the reality.
The legend says that Maia was fertilized by a small and beautiful equipped with six tusks elephant who injured her lap delicately without causing pain. At birth, the small Siddharta would have appeared with his mother on a Lotus while a soft rain of petals falling on both, and said: «I triumph over birth and death and conquer all the demons that harass the human».
According to another version, Maia dreamed one night a small elephant with six horns and Ruby-red head down out of heaven and entered her womb on the right hand side. Eight priests told her husband that the child would be holy and would reach the perfect wisdom. Later she went out to the garden with her servants and walked under a tree room, which bowed. The Queen was hung from a branch and looked to the heavens. At that time Siddharta emerged from his side.
Legend has it also, when Gautama was born blind regained their sight, deaf-mutes spoke, and a heavenly music filled world.

Childhood and youth

The first 29 years of the life of Prince Siddharta Gautama Buddha, was completely unrelated to any spiritual activity, always lived with his family. The details of the childhood and youth of Siddharta narrate a life surrounded by huge luxury and comfort. He received the best education and training possible in his time.
Siddhartha began to feel curious about how things in the outside world were and asked permission to his father to satisfy his desire. Śuddhodana agreed, but prepared the output of your child by ordering that they cleared the streets of any vision that could hurt the sheltered the Prince conscience. However, their careful arrangements failed as Siddharta, acclaimed by the crowd through the streets, could not help but perceive pain in its most acute forms, for the first time realized old age, sickness and death.

Spiritual search

Siddharta Gautama perfectly represents the concept of "spiritual search" according to ancient beliefs, mostly of Eastern nature. I.e., the tireless internal effort or the catharsis which leads to the liberating union with divinity or nirvana and that all human beings sooner or later will be forced to make (self-realization) for achieving enlightenment, one day later, that Yes, experience necessary and sobering reincarnation. Likewise, Siddhartha finally developed in the illuminated (or Buddha) figure comes to express the mystical idea that the road to own light and therefore obtaining inner peace involves enormous sacrifice and usually begins with a provocative and disturbing questions.

Abandonment of the home

The story of Barlaam and Josaphat tells us that the discovery of old age, disease and death was traumatic for Siddharta. He realized that he was also subject to the same suffering and his mood turned somber, as he wondered how anyone could live in peace and happiness if this was what held him life. In a new start abroad, the Prince saw an Anchorite, a mendicant monk, which was impressed by his gentle character. Decided, also adopt it, the life of the monks who lived in extreme asceticism, before spending a few years as a beggar.
Siddhartha lived as a Prince until age 29; He then left home, leaving behind his wife Yasodhara and his son. He left with his head shaven and wearing a yellow dress of itinerant, without money or goods of any kind, in search of enlightenment. Later discovered that all end is bad [citation needed].

Teachers

On his way, Siddharta learned hand of four different masters. With them he learned different techniques of meditation and attained high States of consciousness. In essence, the different ideas that you examined Siddharta tried to redefine the union of the individual (Atman) with the absolute (Brahman) to achieve liberation. But despite his great achievements with these practices, found them satisfaction to your questions. Then, in an attempt to fully subdue the sensory world, Siddharta tried to submit to austerities so extreme that almost caused his death, but still not found solution to your problem. By this, he decided to investigate it in a new and different way.
She learned two things of paramount importance [citation needed]: first, that the extreme asceticism did not lead to the full release, but it was accurate more; and second, that reached extent, no teacher was able to teach anything else. Siddhartha left decided to not continue to seek external sources of wisdom, but to find them inside itself.
A mythical version of this stage of his life tells us that Siddharta, extreme practices of asceticism, after a few days without eating or drinking water, few minutes before his death, listened to a teacher who was teaching a girl to play the sitar. The teacher told him that if the rope was too loose it would not sound, but if the rope of the sitar was too tight to break: the rope should be live just so he could give music and harmony. At that time Siddharta understood the middle path: extreme asceticism and the life of pleasures of the Palace were both extremes, and the truth would find in the right measure between exacerbated pleasure and extreme asceticism.

Nirvana

At the end of his tour, Siddharta stepped to a place named Bodhgaya, in the Indian State of Bihar, to sit under the shade of a tree called bo or bodhi (ficus religious), considered the tree of wisdom.
A night of full moon she decided not to get up until you found the answer to suffering. He spent several weeks under this tree. How started a terrible storm, from under Mucalinda, the King of the nagas (serpents) emerged from the roots of the tree, curled around Gautama and covered him with his hood. Eventually Gautama became aware that had already been freed definitively. He understood the four noble truths. Already not weighed upon him the false illusion I: his real being was beyond the dualities of grasping and repulsion; He had transcended space and time, life and death. He realized that never again would be reborn, that it had broken the eternal turn of the wheel of samsara. This is nirvana.
Counting then 35 years, according to the legend, Siddhartha awoke from his meditations as a Buddha ('awake', 'lit') and continued sitting under the bodhi tree for a while, enjoying the bliss of the renunciation, of the release. Then began to teach about nirvana who hear; founding what is known in the East as Buddha-Dharma (the teaching of the Buddha); in the West is known more commonly as Buddhism.

Parinirvana (death)

Siddharta Gautama died at 80 years of age. The cause was food poisoning that caused vomiting, bleeding, and big headaches which, according to the testimony, endured with great fortitude. Finally, he leaned in a forest of mango in Kushi-Nagara, about 175 kilometers Northwest of Patna. There, surrounded by his disciples, reached the eternal peace of complete extinction, the for nirvana. This is a State that only accessed after death to those who have achieved nirvana during their life. Before expiry of said the Nirvana Sutra, which summarizes all its teaching and clarifies what he saw that they were not well understood.

After his death

King Asoka (3rd century BC) spread the Buddhist religion throughout his empire, filling the North of India with temples and Buddhist monasteries.
Buddhism virtually disappeared from the India a thousand years ago. Education expanded South to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, where Buddhism theravada form still continues to flourish. It also spread north to Tibet, China, Mongolia and Japan. Forms majaianas of Buddhism practiced in these countries. In the 20th century Buddhism began losing followers in the East, while it has spread in the West.