The title of Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, born the son of the rajah of the Sakya tribe ruling in Kapilavastu, Nepal. When about 30 years old he left the luxuries of the court, his beautiful wife, and all earthly ambitions for the life of an ascetic; after six years of austerity and mortification he saw in the contemplative life the perfect way to self-enlightenment. According to tradition, he achieved enlightenment when sitting beneath a peepul tree near Buddh Gaya, Bihar. For the next 40 years he taught, gaining many disciples and followers, and died at the age of about 80 in Kusinagara, Oudh. His teaching is summarized in the Four Noble Truths, the last of which affirms the existence of a path leading to deliverance from the universal human experience of suffering. The goal is Nirvana, which means the blowing out of the fires of all desires, and the absorption of the self into the infinite.
The various Buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the nature of Buddha (see below).
Pali Canon: Buddha was human
From the Pali Canon emerges the view that Buddha was human, endowed with the greatest psychic powers (Kevatta Sutta).
Eternal Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism
Some schools of Mahayana Buddhism believe that the Buddha is no longer essentially a human being but has become a being of a different order altogether and that, in his ultimate transcendental "body/mind" mode as Dharmakaya, he has eternal and infinite life and is possessed of great and immeasurable qualities.
Depictions of the Buddha in art
Buddhas are frequently represented in the form of statues and paintings. Commonly seen designs include:
the Seated Buddha the Reclining Buddha the Standing Buddha Hotei, the obese, Laughing Buddha, usually seen in China (This figure is believed to be a representation of a medieval Chinese monk who is associated with Maitreya, the future Buddha, and is therefore technically not a Buddha image.) the Emaciated Buddha, which shows Siddhartha Gautama during his extreme ascetic practice of starvation.The Buddha statue shown calling for rain is a pose common in Laos.
Markings
Most depictions of Buddha contain a certain number of markings, which are considered the signs of his enlightenment. These signs vary regionally, but two are common:
a protuberance on the top of the head (denoting superb mental acuity) long earlobes (denoting superb perception)In the Pali Canon there is frequent mention of a list of 32 physical marks of Buddha. for example, the Varada (Wish Granting) mudra is common among standing statues of the Buddha, particularly when coupled with the Abhaya (Fearlessness and Protection) mudra.
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