  the english term enlightenment is the western translation of the term bodhi, "awakening", which has entered the western world via the 19th century translations of max mÃ¼ller. it has the western connotation of a sudden insight into a transcendental truth. the term is also being used to translate several other buddhist terms and concepts used to denote insight (prajna, kensho and satori); knowledge (vidhya); the "blowing out" (nirvana) of disturbing emotions and desires and the subsequent freedom or release (vimutti); and the attainment of buddhahood, as exemplified by gautama buddha. what exactly constituted the buddha's awakening is unknown. it may probably have involved the knowledge that liberation was attained by the combination of mindfulness and dhyana, applied to the understanding of the arising and ceasing of craving. the relation between dhyana and insight is a core problem in the study of buddhism, and is one of the fundamentals of buddhist practice. in the western world the concept of (spiritual) enlightenment has begotten a romantic meaning. it has become synonymous with self-realization and the true self, being regarded as a substantial essence being covered over by social conditioning. ==translation== robert s. cohen notes that the majority of english books on buddhism use the term "enlightenment" to translate the term bodhi. the root budh, from which both bodhi and buddha are derived, means "to wake up" or "to recover consciousness". cohen notes that bodhi is not the result of an illumination, but of a path of realization, or coming to understanding. the term "enlightenment" is event-oriented, whereas the term "awakening" is process-oriented. the western use of the term "enlighten" has christian roots, as in calvin's "it is god alone who enlightens our minds to perceive his truths". early 19th century bodhi was translated as "intelligence". the term "enlighten" was first being used in 1835, in an english translation of a french article. in 1857 the times used the term "the enlightened" for the buddha in a short article, which was reprinted the following year by max mÃ¼ller. thereafter, the use of the term subsided, but reappeared with the publication of max mÃ¼ller's chips from a german workshop, which included a reprint from the times-article. the book was translated 1969 into german, using the term &quo
Buddhist_belief_and_doctrine Spirituality