Buddha

[ boo-duh, bood-uh ]

noun

1. Prince Siddhāttha or Siddhartha, 566?–c480 b.c., Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism. Also called But·su [boot, -soo, boot, -, boo, -ts, oo],.
2. any of a series of teachers in Buddhism, of whom Gautama was the last, who bring enlightenment and wisdom.
3. (sometimes lowercase) Buddhism. a person who has attained full prajna, or enlightenment; Arhat.

Buddha

¹

/ ˈbʊdə /

noun

1. the Buddha
   the Buddha ?563–483 bc , a title applied to Gautama Siddhartha, a nobleman and religious teacher of N India, regarded by his followers as the most recent rediscoverer of the path to enlightenment: the founder of Buddhism

buddha

²

/ ˈbʊdə /

noun

1. Buddhism often capital a person who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment
2. an image or picture of the Buddha

Word History and Origins

Origin of Buddha¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from Sanskrit: “awakened” ( budh- “awaken, notice, understand” + -ta past participle suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Buddha¹

C17: from Sanskrit: awakened, enlightened, from budh to awake, know

Example Sentences

One day I know he’ll be gone,risen early like the Buddha out of a dream,taking his special knowledge into the world.

From MIT Technology Review

It shows an 18th-century wooden sculpture of a seated Buddha, which Paik purchased at an antique store.

From Washington Post

At times, he was like a serene Buddha, simply smiling at it all.

From Washington Post

She admits she thought her father “should be like Buddha, or Morrie Schwartz from Tuesdays With Morrie, or any number of stoic philosophers who embrace their final days with a pure heart, conviction of the world’s oneness flowing from their lips.”

From Washington Post

Exiled back to Earth, Monkey and his armies battle the forces of Heaven successfully until the Buddha finally imprisons him under a mountain.

From Washington Post

“My children are traumatised,” Than Dar told a group of reporters in front a large reclining Buddha.

From The Daily Beast

It was the first time I witnessed his balanced mix of strength and kindness, or what could be dubbed his “Buddha nature.”

From The Daily Beast

But the Buddha condemned both extreme luxury and extreme poverty as obstacles to enlightenment.

From The Daily Beast

The couch is too deep, and he is growing heavier; he will be Buddha-like in girth at some point soon.

From The Daily Beast

This is one of the meanings of the famous Zen koan, “If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him.”

From The Daily Beast

In return, each of the priests placed an image of Buddha on a tree-root, turning it into an altar.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon one of these monuments an upright figure of the deity Buddha is sculptured in a standing position.

From Project Gutenberg

No ancient teacher enjoined the duties based on an immutable morality with more force than Confucius, Buddha, and Epictetus.

From Project Gutenberg

The Life of Buddha by Asvaghosha is a poetical romance of nearly ten thousand lines.

From Project Gutenberg

Buddha travels slowly to the sacred city of Benares, converting by the way even Brahmans themselves.

From Project Gutenberg