Buddhism: Difference between revisions

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While Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings (indeed, many are discussed in [[Buddhist scripture]]), it does not ascribe power for creation, salvation or judgment to them. Like humans, they are regarded as having the power to affect worldly events, and so some Buddhist schools associate with them via ritual.
 
== What is a Buddha? ==
[[Image:Buddha_image_-_white_stone.jpg|thumb|left|A stone image of the Buddha.]]
''Buddha'' is a word in ancient [[India|Indian]] languages including [[Pali|Pāli]] and [[Sanskrit]] which means "one who has awakened". It is derived from the verbal root "budh", meaning "to awaken" or "to be enlightened", and "to comprehend".
 
The word "Buddha" denotes not just the historical Buddha [[Shakyamuni]] or [[Siddhartha Gautama]] who lived some 2,500 years ago, but a type of person, of which there have been many throughout the course of time. (As an analogy, the term "President" refers not just to one person, but to everyone who has ever held the office of presidency.) The historical Buddha is one member of the spiritual lineage of Buddhas, which extends beyond history into the past and into the indefinite future.
 
Shakyamuni Buddha did not claim any divine status for himself, nor did he assert that he was inspired by a god or gods. A Buddha is anyone who has fully awakened to the true nature of existence, liberated from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, has eradicated all negative qualities and developed all positive qualities, possibly including [[omniscience]]. (Buddhas are not [[Omnipotence|omnipotent]], like the God of [[Christianity]], [[Islam]] or [[Judaism]].) All sentient beings (beings with a mind, like humans and animals) can free themselves from suffering as Gautama did, regardless of [[age]], [[Biological_sex|sex]], or [[caste]].
 
The principles by which a person can achieve [[bodhi|enlightenment]] are known as the [[Buddhadharma]], or simply the [[Dharma]], meaning (in this context) "law, doctrine, or truth".
 
==Origins==