buddha/Buddha

buddha/Buddha

“The word buddha is not a name but a title; it’s meaning is ‘one who has woken up.’” Buddha (capital “B”) referees to our historical buddha, identified by most traditions as an individual from North India named Siddhartha Guatama.

buddha

A buddha is an individual belonging to a class of beings which is different in many ways from the average person. Physically, a buddha can be identified by the 32 major marks and 80 minor marks . (Lakkhaṇa Sutta “The Marks of a Great Man,” Dīgha Nikāya 30) A buddha is typically male, depending on the tradition. (Gethin, 90) Sanskrit origin of the term: “bud” to wake up. A buddha has lived many lives as a bodhisattva (one who takes up compassion for others to liberate ones self, to liberate others.) A buddha is one who teaches the dharma for the first time in an era. Some traditions teach that many buddhas may coexist at once, while others teach that buddha-nature exists within all of us. A buddha is not a human, nor a divine being.

Buddha

The Buddha refers to himself as “Tathagatha” not as the Buddha. Sakyamuni is another epithet used to refer to the historical individual Siddhartha Guatama. Sakyamuni refers to the clan from which Sakyamuni is descended. The life of Sakyamuni is generally accepted to follow a specific narrative form. A major conceit of Buddhist thought is that the life of Sakyamuni is a sort of play- a performative demonstration enacted for our benefit.

Western scholars agree that Sakyamuni lived sometime in the 4th century B.C.E. in Brahmanical India. Born in Lumbin in in Nepal to the Sakyamuni clan, Siddhartha was known as the “Sage of the Sakya clan.” Siddhartha was raised as a princ, but eventually renounced palace life. He spends six years undertaking severe forms of asceticsm. Afterwards he wanders to a place known as bohd Gaya where he becomes an awakened being. As the Buddha, he teaches for the next 45 years, beginning at a grove near Bohd Gaya in Deer Park. He travels across North india, teaching thousands of sermons, and dies at age 88.

The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha
by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

• First Deed: Descending from Tushita
• Second Deed: Conception into the Womb
• Third Deed: Birth in the garden of Lumbini, in present day Nepal
• Fourth Deed: Training in the Arts, Crafts and Sciences.
• Fifth Deed: Marriage to Yashodhara, the birth of his son Rahula and the
• Sixth Deed: Renunciation of Samsara, Leaving his life as a Prince
• Seventh Deed: Practice of Austerities and Asceticism, and then Renouncing
• Eighth Deed: Taking His place at the Vajrasana in Bodh Gaya, the seat under the Bodhi Tree
• Ninth Deed: Victory over of the leader of Maras, Papiyan
• Tenth Deed: Attainment of Enlightenment reached while meditating under the bodhi tree.
• Eleventh Deed: Teaching the Dharma
• Twelfth Deed: Passing away at the age of 83 in the town of Kushingara.

Common elements of buddha images

Buddhas are typically depicted on thrones. A buddha will typically make a mudra with the hands. Depictions of buddhas often illustrate the lotus posture. Aesthetically, buddhist visual culture is escended from early Indian imagery. Buddhist traditions tend to mirror the visual culture of their local tradition resutling in disparate modes of expression.

Ritual implements of the buddha

Some of the important ritual implements are:

• the Vajra or Thunderbolt, also known in Tibetan as dorje.
• the Bell, known in Sanskrit as the Ghanta, and in Tibetan as dril bu. – the Phurpa (Ritual Dagger)
• the Skull Cup, known as kapala in Sanskrit.
• the Curved Knife or Chopper

References

1. Chögyel Tenzin, and Kurtis R. Schaeffer. The Life of the Buddha. Penguin Classics, 2015.
2. Gethin, R. M. L. The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press, 1998.
3. Teachings (Text), http://rinpoche.com/teachings.html.
4. Tsering, Tashi, et al. Buddhist Psychology. Wisdom Publications, 2006.

Further Reading

1. Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha by Jack Kerouac https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Up-Buddha-Jack-Kerouac/dp/0143116010 [Beat Poetry re-imagining of the Buddhist myth]
2. Buddha by Osamu Tezuka https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/6BD/buddha/ [A manga genius investigates the Buddha]
3. A Buddhist Bible https://wesleyan-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CTW_WU_ALMA21123521000003768&context=L&vid=CTWWU&lang=en_US&search_scope=default_scope&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,Buddhist%20bible&mode=Basic [A collection of Buddhist Text that proliferated in the West in the mid 20th century, inspiring a generation of poets and artists.]

External Links

1. Sacred Texts – Collection of Early 20th century buddhist texts, mostly orientalist in nature.
2. R/Buddhism – Reddit community for discussion about Buddhism
3. Kopan Monastery Prayer Request – Prayers on your behalf.