Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Buddha |
BuddhaNoun1. Founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC). 2. One who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "Buddha" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1880. (references) |
Note: Buddha \Bud"dha\, noun. [Skr. buddha wise, sage, from budh to know.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Biographical Satire | BUDDHA, a prince of India who tired of good times and turned reformer. Advised his congregations to adopt the recall and referendum. Nailed several anti-saloon and burlesque planks in his platform. After B.'s death his friends filled the Orient with his bronzes. He was fat and wore a fascinating wart on his forehead. Source: Who was Who: 5000BC - 1914. |
Literature | Buddha means the Wise One. From the Indian word budh, to know. The title was given to Prince Siddhartha, generally called Saky'a-muni, the founder of Buddhism. His wife's name was Gopa. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Buddha (Sanskrit: lit. Awakened One, Enlightened One. from the Sanskrit: "Budh", to know) is a title given to individuals who have realized their complete potential for personal development and conscious evolution. In contemporary usage, it often refers to Siddhartha Gautama, the religious teacher and spiritual founder of Buddhism (considered to be "the Buddha of this age"). In the other usage, it is an appellative and exemplar for an Enlightened human being.
Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the first or last Buddha. Technically, a Buddha, one who rediscovers the Dharma (i.e., Truth; the nature of reality, of the mind, of the affliction of the human condition and the correct "path" to liberation) by Enlightenment, comes to be after skillful or good karma (intention) is perfectly maintained and all negative unskillful actions are abandoned. The attainment of Nirvana between the three types of Buddhas is exactly the same, but the Samma-Sambuddha expresses more qualities and capacities than the other two. These three types of Buddhahood are:
Due to popular misconceptions, it must be emphasized that a Buddha is not a God. Not only was this denied by Gautama Buddha himself, but also the clear distinction is made in Buddhist cosmology that the position of Buddhahood is attainable only by human beings (although not limited to this particular Humanity), in whom reside the greatest potential for Enlightenment. Gautama Buddha also stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant gods and God are subject to karma themselves 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 & reality as it is. The Buddhist system of philosophy and meditation practice was not divinely-revealed, but rather, the understanding of the true nature of the human mind which can be rediscovered by anyone for themselves. Penetration of this reality accompanies the shocking truth that ignorance can be eliminated.
- the Samma-Sambuddha who, without a teacher, gains full Enlightenment by his own effort
- the Pacceka-Buddha or Pratyeka-Buddha who is like the Samma-Sambuddha, but remains silent and keeps the discovered Dharma to himself
- the Savaka-Buddha who is an Arahant (enlightened disciple), but has attained Enlightenment by hearing of the Dhamma.
According to Gautama Buddha, the Awakening bliss of Nirvana he attained under the fig tree, is available to all beings once they achieve rebirth as a human. Emphasizing this concept, the Mahayana school of Buddhism in particular refers to many Buddhas and also bodhisattvas (beings committed to Enlightenment but who vow to postpone their own Nirvana in order to assist others on the path). In the holy Tipitaka - the core sacred text of Buddhism - the numerous past Buddhas and their lives are spoken of, including the next Buddha-to-be, the Maitreya Buddha.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Buddha."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Buddha in a blink-182 album that was released in 1994. The album was first recorded onto a tape, and then Kung Fu Records transferred it into compact disc form and let it out to the public.Track listing
Other recordings of "Carousel", "T.V.", "Strings", "Fentoozler", "Romeo & Rebecca", "Sometimes", and "Toast & Bananas" are also on the Blink-182 album, Cheshire Cat.
- "Carousel"
- "T.V."
- "Strings"
- "Fentoozler"
- "Time"
- "Romeo & Rebecca"
- "21 Days"
- "Sometimes"
- "Point Of View"
- "My Pet Sally"
- "Reebok Commercial"
- "Toast & Bananas"
- "The Girl Next Door"
- "Don't"
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Buddha (album)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Gautama Buddha was an Indian spiritual leader who lived between approximately 563 BC and 483 BC. Born Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit, Siddhattha Gotama Pali -- the "wish-fulfiller"), he later became the Buddha (lit. Enlightened One). He is also commonly known as Shakyamuni or Sakyamuni (lit. "The sage of the Shakya clan") and as the Tathagata (lit. thus-gone one), emphasizing the nature of a Buddha to go about in the world without adding or subtracting anything from his experience.) Gautama was a contemporary of Mahavira.
Gautama is the key figure in Buddhism. Accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules, were summarized after his death and memorized by the sangha. Passed down by oral tradition, the Tipitaka was written about one hundred years later.
Overview of the Buddha's Life
Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini (a Himalayan town modernly situated near the Nepalese side border) under the full moon of May to the clan of the Shakyas. During the birth celebrations, a seer announced that this baby would either become an emperor or a Buddha. It is said that, before being born, Gautama would visit his mother during a vision in the form of a white elephant.
At the age 29, Gautama became unsatisfied with his life. Upon being escorted by his attenant Channa, he came across the "four sights": an old crippled man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and finally an ascetic; thus inspired, Gautama chose to become a monk.
Abandoning his inheritance with the disgust of knowing his fate was in the first three sights, he chose the robes of a mendicant monk and headed to southeastern India. He began training in the ascetic life and practicing vigorous austere practices. After 6 years, and at the brink of death, he found that the severe ascetic practices did not lead to greater understanding. Once discarding them and concentrating on meditation, he discovered the middle way, a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Under the fig, now know as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to leave the position until he found Truth. At 35, he attained Enlightenment under the full moon month of May; now known as Gautama Buddha, or simply "The Buddha". He claimed he had realized complete Awakening and insight into the nature and cause of human suffering along with the steps necessary to eliminate it. This supreme Awakening, possible to any being, is called the state of Bodhi and at this point, he won Nirvana.
He emphasized that he was not a God but that the position of Buddhahood is reserved for the human, in whom possesses the greatest potential for Enlightenment. Explained by Gautama Buddha, he also stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant gods and God are subjected to karma themselves in decaying heavens. The Buddha is solely a guide and teacher for those sentient beings who must tread the path themselves, attain spiritual Awakening, and see truth & reality as it is. The Buddhist system of insight, thought and meditation practice was not divinely-revealed, but rather, the understanding of the true nature of the human mind which could be discovered by anyone for themselves. Penetration of this reality accompanies the shocking truth that ignorance can be eliminated.
For the remaining 45 years of his life, he traveled the Gangetic Plain of central India (region of the Ganges/Ganga river and its tributaries), teaching his doctrine and discipline to an extremely diverse range of people, from nobles, street sweepers, outcastes, and including many adherents of rival philosophies and religions. He founded the community of Buddhist monks and nuns (the Sangha) to continue the dispensation after his Paranirvana or complete Nirvana.
Gautama Buddha realised that his bodily end was fast approaching. He told his disciple Ananda to prepare a bed between two Sal trees. Just before his passing, a 120 year-old mendicant monk named Subhadra, walked by. Being earlier turned away by Ananda, Buddha overheard this and called the Brahmin to his side. He was admitted to the Sangha (Buddhist order) and immediately after, Gautama passed away on that full moon day in May.
After intermittent illness, Gautama Buddha passing at Kushinagar under the full moon month of May, India at the age of 80. His last meal was a mushroom or truffles delicacy which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith. Vegetarianism is for Buddhists an ideal rather than a mandate, and monks and nuns in particular are enjoined to accept all offerings of food made to them (unless they see, hear, or suspect an animal has been killed especially to satisfy hunger). The Buddha's final words were, "All conditioned things are subject to impermanence. Strive on with diligence".
Personality and character
The Buddha as presented in the Buddhist scriptures is notable for such characteristics as:
- Both a comprehensive education and training in those fields appropriate to a warrior aristocrat, such as martial arts, agricultural management, and literature, and also a deep understanding of the religious and philosophical ideas of his culture.
- Gautama Siddharta was reported to have been athletic and fit throughout his life, competent in martial arts such as chariot combat, wrestling, and archery, and later easily hiking miles each day and camping in the wilderness. Images of a fat "Jolly Buddha" or Laughing Buddha are actually depictions of a different character, sometimes called Hotei (or Hoti).
- A superb teacher, with a fine grasp of the appropriate metaphor, and tailoring his teachings to the audience at hand.
- Fearless and unworried at all times, whether dealing with religious debate, a patricidal prince, or a murderous outlaw. He was not, however, past exasperation when monks of his order misrepresented his teachings.
- Completely temperate in all bodily appetites. Lived a completely celibate life from age 29 until his death. Indifferent to hunger and environmental conditions.
External links
- A Sketch of the Buddha's Life
- Critical Resources: Buddha & Buddhism
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gautama Buddha."
Synonym: BuddhaSynonym: the Buddha (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Jupiter | Allah, Bathala, Brahm, Brahma, Brahma, cloud-compeller, Devi, Durga, Kali, oread, the Great Spirit, Ushas; water nymph, wood nymph; Yama, Varuna, Zeus; Vishnu, Siva, Shiva, Krishna, Juggernath, Buddha; Isis, Osiris, Ra; Belus, Bel, Baal, Asteroth; Thor, Odin; Mumbo Jumbo; good genius, tutelary genius; demiurge, familiar; sibyl; fairy, fay; sylph, sylphid; Ariel, peri, nymph, nereid, dryad, seamaid, banshee, benshie, Ormuzd; Oberon, Mab, hamadryad, naiad, mermaid, kelpie, Ondine, nixie, sprite; denizens of the air; pixy; (bad spirit). |
Pseudo-Revelation | Gautama, Buddha; Zoroaster, Confucius, Bab-ed-Din, Mohammed. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Buddha |
| English words defined with "Buddha": avatar ♦ Boodh, Buddhism, Buddhist ♦ Dagoba ♦ Fo ♦ Maitreya ♦ Stupa. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "Buddha": Boar's Flesh ♦ Champak' ♦ FREEMASONS ♦ Soutras. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Buddha" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Czech (buddha), German (buddha), Hungarian (buddha), Manx (Buddha), Swedish (buddha). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Am I me? Is Malkovich Malkovich? Was the Buddha right, is duality an illusion (Being John Malkovich; writing credit: Charlie Kaufman) A woman can even become a Buddha; but for that she must first come back as a man. (Beyond Rangoon; writing credit: Alex Lasker; Bill Rubenstein) Even your Buddha and your Christ had quite a different vision (K-PAX; writing credit: Charles Leavitt) He'd turn Buddha into a chain smoker (Kolchak: The Night Stalker; writing credit: David Chase; Rudolph Borchert) | |
Clever | A jug fills drop by drop. (references; author: Buddha) Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds. (references; author: Buddha) Everything changes, nothing remains without change. (references; author: Buddha) The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. (references; author: Buddha) Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. (references; author: Buddha) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Buddha Mil Gaya (1971) Gautama the Buddha (1967) Gotoma the Buddha (1956) The Green Buddha (1955) Buddha Dev (1923) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Living Buddha exiled by Thibet [sic] six years ago, returns to China / p. Credit: Library of Congress; photo by Underwood and Underwood.. |  | Buddha preaching, Sarnath. 5th Century A.D. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Close view of dhyani Buddha figure seated in meditative attitude, Taxila, Rawalpindi district, Punjab, Pakistan. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Gum Wah, Old Country Rd., Westbury, Long Island. Buddha. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Rangoon - statue of Buddha. Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Buddha Boy" by Ashley Alderdice Commentary: "Buddha boy from my room." | "Gold Buddha" by Ric Shreves Commentary: "Wooden carved Buddha visage with gold applied. ." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Buddha | A jug fills drop by drop. |
| Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds. | |
| Everything changes, nothing remains without change. | |
| The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. | |
| Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. | |
| Love the whole world as a mother lovers her only child. | |
| Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts. | |
| You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself. | |
| There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Civil Liberties | Afghanistan | In March the Taliban, acting on what it claimed to be religious grounds, completely destroyed two giant statues of the Buddha dating from pre-Islamic times, which were carved into the cliffs near Bamiyan. (references) |
Economic History | Cambodia | Temples were altered to display images of the Buddha, and Angkor Wat became a major Buddhist shrine. (references) |
Afghanistan | In 2001, as part of a drive against relics of Afghanistan's pre-Islamic past, the Taliban destroyed two large statues of the Buddha outside of the city of Bamiyan and announced destruction of all pre-Islamic statues in Afghanistan, including the remaining holdings of the Kabul Museum. (references) | |
Political Economy | Afghanistan | In March in Bamiyan the Taliban completely destroyed two giant statutes of the Buddha that dated from pre-Islamic times and called for destruction of images in the collection at the Kabul Museum. (references) |
Trade | Burma | Certain images, such as a Buddha image or the national flag, cannot be used on labels or trademarks. (references) |
Laos | LAO LAW PROHIBITS THE EXPORT OF WEAPONS; ANTIQUITIES; BUDDHA IMAGES; ILLEGAL DRUGS; LOGS; 15X80 SIZE AND THICKER SAWED WOOD (REGARDLESS OF LENGTH); RAW RATTAN AND BASIC PROCESSED RATTAN; AND WILDLIFE. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FREEMASONS, n. An order with secret rites, grotesque ceremonies and fantastic costumes, which, originating in the reign of Charles II, among working artisans of London, has been joined successively by the dead of past centuries in unbroken retrogression until now it embraces all the generations of man on the hither side of Adam and is drumming up distinguished recruits among the pre-Creational inhabitants of Chaos and Formless Void. The order was founded at different times by Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, Cyrus, Solomon, Zoroaster, Confucious, Thothmes, and Buddha. Its emblems and symbols have been found in the Catacombs of Paris and Rome, on the stones of the Parthenon and the Chinese Great Wall, among the temples of Karnak and Palmyra and in the Egyptian Pyramids -- always by a Freemason. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Gotham Chopra | Not really. I mean I guess in some ways I am, but actually Gotham, Gotama Buddha. It's the original name of the Buddha, and it means the enlightened one, so I have a lot to live up to. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Buddha" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 75.61% of the time. "Buddha" is used about 82 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (proper) | 75.61% | 62 | 42,755 |
| Noun (singular) | 24.39% | 20 | 78,262 |
| Total | 100.00% | 82 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "Buddha": Gautama Buddha ♦ the Buddha. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "Buddha": buddha-like. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
buddha | 5,177 | thailand buddha | 27 |
buddha statue | 1,315 | funky buddha lounge | 27 |
buddha picture | 336 | buddha teachings | 27 |
buddha bar | 309 | belly buddha | 27 |
laughing buddha | 184 | golden buddha | 27 |
buddha image | 162 | buddha art | 26 |
smiling buddha | 77 | buddha smiling tattoo | 26 |
buddha tattoo | 69 | jade buddha | 24 |
buddha quote | 60 | buddha record | 24 |
buddha wholesale | 53 | happy buddha | 23 |
buddha pic | 46 | chinese buddha | 22 |
little buddha | 40 | buddha temple | 22 |
medicine buddha | 39 | garden buddha | 22 |
bar buddha paris | 37 | buddha monk | 18 |
life of buddha | 37 | buddha and jesus | 18 |
buddha wallpaper | 35 | thai buddha | 18 |
buddha garden statue | 33 | buddha t shirt | 17 |
buddha photo | 31 | afghanistan buddha in statue | 16 |
story of buddha | 29 | buddha sculpture | 16 |
funky buddha | 28 | gautama buddha | 15 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "Buddha"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | Boeddha. (various references) | |
Albanian | buda. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | буда. (various references) | |
Chinese | 菩萨, 迦 (Shakyamuni), 佛 (Buddhism). (various references) | |
Czech | buddha. (various references) | |
Dutch | Boeddha. (various references) | |
Esperanto | Buddo, Budao. (various references) | |
French | Bouddha. (various references) | |
German | buddha. (various references) | |
Greek | βούδασ. (various references) | |
Hebrew | בודהא. (various references) | |
Hungarian | buddha. (various references) | |
Italian | budda. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 仏 (Buddhist image, merciful person, the dead). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ぶつだ, ぶつ (be not, Buddhism, do not, must not, to hit, to strike), ぶっだ, ほとけ (Buddhist image, merciful person, the dead). (various references) | |
Manx | Buddha. (various references) | |
Papiamen | Buda. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | uddhabay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | buda. (various references) | |
Russian | будда, Будда. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | buda. (various references) | |
Spanish | buda. (various references) | |
Swedish | buddha. (various references) | |
Thai | พระพุทธเจ้า. (various references) | |
Turkish | buda. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Buddha" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Badda, Baldhu, Bodham, Bodhi, budda, buddah, Buddh, budha, Budhas, Budvar, Buidh, Buidhie, Dudhia, Rudha, Yudha. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-d-d-h-u" | |
-2 letters: baud, daub, duad, habu. | |
-3 letters: add, bad, bah, bud, dab, dad, dah, dub, dud, duh, had, hub. | |
-4 letters: ab, ad, ah, ba, ha, uh. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-d-d-h-u" | |
+2 letters: dumbhead. | |
+3 letters: debauched, dumbheads, hardbound, husbanded. | |
+4 letters: badmouthed, bullheaded. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Derivations | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
