Buddha
Buddha is a title meaning ‘Awakened One’ which Siddhattha Gotama called himself and was called by others after he attained enlightenment. More than an individual, a Buddha is a type, a human who has reached the apex of wisdom and compassion and is no longer subject to rebirth. A Buddha attains enlightenment entirely on his own, whereas an arahat does it as a result of listening to and practising the teachings of a Buddha. The Buddha of our present era is Siddhattha Gotama, but tradition says that there were other Buddhas in previous eras just as there will be Buddhas in future eras. When the truth of the Dhamma becomes lost or obscured, someone will sooner or later rediscover it and such a person will be called a Buddha. See Silent Buddha.
The Historical Buddha, H.W. Schumann, 1989.
