Buddhahood

Has experienced Buddha (Sanskrit, m., बुद्ध buddha, literally meaning " awakened one " chinese fo佛, Vietnamese Phat佛or but 𠍤 ) called in Buddhism a man who Bodhi (literally "awakening" ) and the honorary title of Indian religious founder Siddhartha Gautama, also known as "Buddha", the teachings of the established world religion of Buddhism.

In Buddhism we mean by a Buddha, a being that has its own power reaches the purity and perfection of his mind and thus obtained a limitless development of all existing in him potential: perfect wisdom ( prajna ) and infinite, nevertheless distanced compassion ( Karuna ) with all living. He has already achieved in his lifetime Nirvana and is therefore according to Buddhist belief no longer the cycle of reincarnation ( samsara ) bound. The awakening is of transcendental nature, not to grasp with the mind, is " deep and unfathomable as the ocean ", which is why this experience eludes description with linguistic terms. Their quality is for people who have not experienced it yourself, do not understand.

A Buddha experience occurs after the Buddhist tradition is very rare; therefore is an age in which a Buddha occurs, a "happy age". Because there are so many "dark " ages in which no Buddha occurs and therefore no doctrine of final liberation can be followed. The Buddha of the next age to be Maitreya, while Kashyapa, Kanakamuni and Dipamkara were three Buddhas of the past. In particular, the Tantric Buddhism ( Vajrayana ) knows a wealth of Buddhas, which are also called transcendent Buddhas, Adibuddhas ( five Dhyani - Buddhas ) or Tathagatas.

• 4.1 Teaching traditions of Buddhism

The word "Buddha"

The word " Buddha " means " Awakened One " and is budh ( " awake " ) in Sanskrit and derived from him Middle Indic languages, the root form of the past participle of the past of the verbal root. The nominative of the word "Buddha " is the Sanskrit Buddha, in the Central Indian Pali language the Buddha, and therefore some researchers use these forms. There are, however, not used in Western science Indian words modeled after the native lexicographers and grammarians in the nominative, but in the parent form, the form of Buddha has generally naturalized.

Because Sanskrit is an Indo-European language, the verbal root budh place or Indo-European * bheudh meaning " wake up, note to draw attention " in a modified form in many European languages ​​again. For example, the German word " bid " and the word "Buddha" for example, are linguistically related.

Shakyamuni Buddha ( Siddhartha Gautama )

The exact data Siddhartha Gautama's life are disputed. The earliest calculations showed a year of death, which is similar to the Western calendar 544 or 543 BC. Later they took a birth time May / April 483 BC to 563 BC and May as a time of death; This calculation was based on the traditional chronicles distance of 218 years between the death of the Buddha and the ruler Ashoka's consecration. Recent research has, however, these traditional datings abandoned. Currently, different dating proposals are being discussed all around decades later than the conventional assumptions. The currently dominant approaches to the time of death vary between about 420 and about 368 BC

Siddhartha Gautama lived in North India; as his birthplace Lumbini applies. His father Suddhodana was head of one of the ruling families in the small republic of nobles of the Shakya in present-day Indian- Nepalese border. Notes on the state of the Buddha's father King as well as the pomp and ceremony at his court, where they encountered particularly in later texts, are most likely exaggerations; However, it is likely that the family at least belonged to the nobility. His mother's name was Maya and died seven days after the birth of the child. The parents named their son ( in Pali ) Siddhattha; in ( Sanskrit: Siddhartha ), which " has achieved its objective " means. The epithet Sakyamuni refers to its origin and means "the way of the lineage of Shakya ". After the birth of Siddhartha was predicted that he does when it detects either a world ruler or the suffering of the world, someone would be bringing the wisdom in the world. He lived in a palace where him everything that belonged to the good life, was available and where it was screened according to tradition, secular from all suffering. His father saw in him the ideal successor and wanted to prevent Siddhartha himself turned away from his kingdom. Therefore, only rarely, he was allowed to leave the royal palace, and when the roads were previously cleared of old, the sick and the dying. Siddhartha was drawn on it by the Indian deity Brahma that he promised in his last life to use his next life in order to liberate mankind from suffering.

But one day he saw but the reality of life and the suffering of humanity compared and recognized a futility in his previous life: the legend of encounters with an old man, a sick with fever, a decaying corpse, and finally with a monk, and he decided to look for a way out of the general suffering. (However, it is very difficult for the "biography" of the Buddha, legends to separate fact ). The age of 29, soon after the birth of his only son Rahula ( " tethered " ), he left his child, his wife Yasodhara and his home and was looking for the redemption of an ascetic. For six years the ascetic Gautama wandered through the valley of the Ganges, met famous religious teachers, studied and followed their systems and methods, and subjected themselves to strict ascetic practices. Since all this brought him closer to his goals not, he gave the traditional religions and their methods, sought his own way and practiced primarily in meditation. He called this the " Middle Way " because he avoids the extremes of other religious teachings.

Siddhartha Gautama "reached " in the age of 35 the perfect awakening ( bodhi ). This happened on the banks of the River Neranjara at Bodh Gaya (near Gaya in Bihar today ) under a poplar fig, which is now revered as the Bodhi tree, the "tree of wisdom ". An offshoot of that very fig tree was planted according to legend, in Ceylon, while the Indian tree withered. From there, an offshoot later turn taken and sent to the original location in India (near the 1931 excavated temple district of Sarnath ) planted.

After the Bodhi experience Gautama, the Buddha gave, in the Deer Park at Isipatana (modern Sarnath ) near Benares before a group of five ascetics, his former companions, his first sermon. These five were thus the first monks of the Buddhist monastic community ( Sangha ). From that day he taught and spoke for 45 years before men and women of all social classes, before kings and peasants, Brahmins and outcasts, moneylenders and beggars, saints and robbers. The up to now existing in India by the distinctions of caste he accepted as a given, but emphasized their insignificance to the treading of the path that he taught.

At the age of 80 years according to legend, Gautama died in Kushinagar ( in present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh ), after he is said to have eaten a corrupt court.

On the first Buddhist Council ( " Council of Five Hundred " ), located immediately after the extinction of the enlightened ones in a cave near Rajagriha ( Rājagṛha, Pali: Rājagaha ) got together, to Ananda, who was known for his excellent memory, have reproduced the suttas. Mahakashyapa argued the abidharma and Upali the monastic rules.

According to historical sources, this council was a canon of teachings ( Dharma ) and the Order of Discipline ( Vinayapitaka ) has been compiled. A text which is to report on Kāśyapasaṃgīti - sūtra is in the Chinese canon obtain ( Taishō 2027 ).

From religionsphänomenologischer view embodies Gautama as a religious authority the type of the " founder " of the " mystic " and the " teacher ".

Three types of Buddhas

There are three types of Buddha:

Samyaksambuddha

The " Perfect Fully - Awakened One " ( Pali: Sammāsambuddha ) refers to a person who rediscovered the leading to liberation and perfection doctrine after it has been lost in the world out of itself, self realized and teaches the world and due to its extensive qualifications and merits, many people can lead to liberation.

"There's a man in the things previously unheard recognizes himself the truth and attained in the Allerkenntnis and in the forces the championship. This man is referred to as, perfection enlightened '. "

The peculiar all the Buddhas, each time they discovered anew and the world revealed teachings form the Four Noble Truths ( sacca ) of suffering, its arising, its dissolution and of leading to liberation from suffering eightfold path.

The leading on the implementation of Samyaksambuddha way ( after an initial teaching) the Way of the Bodhisattva.

Pratyekabuddha

The " single - Awakened One " ( Pali: Pratyekabuddha ) refers to a person who even rediscovered the leading to the doctrine of salvation from itself out and myself realized it but not announced, other people are not taught, it does not lead to liberation.

" As a human being recognizes in things previously unheard himself the truth, but he attained not to the Allerkenntnis and in the forces not the championship. These people referred to as ' single - enlightened '. "

Sravakabuddha

The " as a listener - Awakened One " ( Pali: savakabuddha ) or Arhat, referred to a person who experiences the leading liberation doctrine and practice as a student or a Samyaksambuddha also Sravakabuddha and fully realized. He is again in a position to teach the Dhamma / Dharma other people and to lead them to liberation.

"Who's on the way, completely losing desire for formhaftem existence, craving for formless existence, conceit, distraction and delusion, to achieve the goal of perfect holiness, or who desire for formhaftem existence, craving for formless existence, conceit, absentmindedness and delusion has come over completely: these people are called to Perfect Saints ( Arahat ) ' "

Others

Teaching traditions of Buddhism

The large, still preserved, teaching traditions of Buddhism are

• Theravada
• Mahayana Pure Land
• Vajrayana
• Zen