What Does Buddha Mean?

Buddha means awakened one or awake essence. It signifies either a being who has attained full enlightenment or the underlying principle or substrate of full enlightenment.

I also explain the Tibetan term for Buddha: Sanggye.

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What is Buddha in Tibetan?

Sanggye. Sanggye means purified (sang) and brought forth (gye). The obscurations are what is purified. The coarse emotional obscurations and wrong view. On a more subtle level, the cognitive obscurations – duality – are purified. Duality is seeing any separation from self and the outer phenomena.

The Buddha qualities are gye – expanded, brought forth. These qualities are limitless and beyond concept. They are innately self-existing without having physical, genuine form. However, some are explained as the 6 paramitas, for example.

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What does Buddha mean in English?

Awakened, which means awake to the genuine nature of reality without any obstructions or confusions about that. The ability to manifest the Great compassion and the great powers of overcoming all obstacles.

The Buddha has left Samsara but returns to Samsara to benefit beings. Buddha is not bound by Samsara but has completely transcended suffering.

The primary virtue of the Buddha is wisdom and out of that he manifests the upayas or skillful means. Upayas are the compassion of the Buddha to liberate sentient beings from their suffering. Thus Buddha places them on the path of dharma to guide them and inspire them towards truth.

Historical Buddha Meaning

The historical Buddha was called Shakymuni, Sage of the Shakya tribe. It means to awaken, to be awake, to cognize all knowables, to perceive the essence, to pay heed, to open as the bud of a flower. It is the masculine form of Budh.

Budhi concerns more the power the Buddha has. It refers to the powerful perceptive capacities of the Buddha, which penetrate ordinary mundane reality. Budhi understands why things are the way the are, by definition. Buddha is a being who attains that understanding.

Gautama is a tribal appelation. One who possesses the great illumination is the rough translation.

It seems that Ashoka ascribed the phrase Shakyamuni Buddha to the historical buddha in his great edicts. This term, sage of the Shakya tribe is probably the most widely known form of the Buddha’s titles.

Table of Buddha Meanings

Here’s a table of epithets commonly associated with the Buddha:

Epithet	Meaning/Significance
Shakyamuni	“Sage of the Shakyas” – referring to Siddhartha Gautama’s clan
Tathagata	“Thus-gone” or “Thus-come” – denoting the Buddha’s enlightenment and transcendence beyond suffering
Sakyamuni Buddha	Combining “Sakyamuni” and “Buddha,” emphasizing his clan and enlightened status
Bhagavān	“The Blessed One” – expressing reverence and awe for the Buddha’s spiritual attainment
Samyaksambuddha	“Fully Self-Enlightened One” – signifying complete and perfect enlightenment
Sugata	“Well-gone” or “One who has gone well” – indicating the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment and the path he has taught
Sanggye	Tibetan. Purified (of neurosis and wrong view) and expanded (All virtues).
Lokajit	“Conqueror of the world” – symbolizing the Buddha’s mastery over worldly desires and suffering
Jagat Guru	“Teacher of the world” – highlighting the Buddha’s role as a spiritual guide for all beings
Buddha Shakyamuni	Merging “Buddha” and “Shakyamuni,” emphasizing his awakened status and clan affiliation
Dharma Raja	“King of Truth” – representing the Buddha’s sovereignty over the teachings of Dharma
Anuttarapurisadammasarathi	“Peerless charioteer of men to be tamed” – indicating the Buddha’s unmatched ability to guide beings towards liberation
Bhutanatha	“Protector of the world” – illustrating the Buddha’s compassionate role in guiding and protecting sentient beings
Tathagata-Gautama	Combining “Tathagata” and “Gautama,” highlighting both his enlightened status and family lineage
Jina	“Conqueror” – emphasizing the Buddha’s triumph over ignorance and suffering
Sattha	“Teacher” – reflecting the Buddha’s role in imparting spiritual wisdom and guidance
Sarvajna	“All-knowing” or “Omniscient” – suggesting the Buddha’s complete understanding of reality
Sambuddha	“Self-enlightened” – signifying the Buddha’s independent realization of truth and liberation
Arihant	“Destroyer of enemies” – symbolizing the Buddha’s victory over the defilements of the mind
Muni	“Sage” – highlighting the Buddha’s wisdom and spiritual insight
Tathata	“Suchness” or “Reality as it is” – pointing to the Buddha’s realization of ultimate truth
Bodhisattva	“Enlightenment being” – referring to the Buddha’s altruistic aspiration for the welfare of all sentient beings