This article is about the definition of a Buddha. For the historical Buddha, see Gautama Buddha.

Big Lord Buddha Statue, Lantau Island, HK
A **Buddha** is the holiest type of being in Buddhism, a teacher of God's and humans. The word *Buddha* means "enlightened one" in Sanskrit or Fully Awakened One in Pāli.

It is also a title for Siddhartha Gautama. He was the man who started Buddhism. Sometimes people call him "the Buddha" or the "Shakyamuni Buddha". Other times, people call any person a Buddha if they have found enlightenment. If a person has not found enlightenment yet, but is very close to reaching it, then he is called bodhisattva.

Summary
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Buddhists believe that there are many Buddhas. The most recent one was Gautama Buddha. People who will become Buddhas someday are called "bodhisattvas."

Buddhists believe that the Buddha was enlightened, which means that he knew all about how to live a peaceful life and how to avoid suffering. He is said to have never argued with other people, but only said what was true and useful, out of compassion for others.

Some Buddhists pray to Buddhas, but Buddhas are not gods. Buddhas are teachers who help the people who will listen. A Buddha is a human being who has woken up and can see the true way the world works. This knowledge totally changes the person so that they can have a better life in the present and the future. A Buddha can also help a person achieve enlightenment.

There are ideas which are said to lead someone to enlightenment. They are called the *Dharma* (Sanskrit) or "Dhamma" (Pāli), meaning "the way" or "the truth." Anyone can become a Buddha, but it is very difficult. He became Buddha under the peepal or "bodhi" tree at Bodhgaya in Bihar in what is now India.

Types of Buddhas
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There is a special type of Buddha called a *pratyekabuddha* or "silent Buddhas". These Buddhas reached *enlightenment* on their own, but they did not teach others.

Another type of Buddha is a *samyaksambuddha*. This is the best kind of Buddha because he is able to teach all living beings.

Seven Buddhas of the past
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Buddhists believe that there have been many Buddhas in the past. There will also be many Buddhas in the future. Traditionally, seven Buddhas are given names.

1. Vipashyin Buddha
2. Shikhin Buddha
3. Vishvabhu Buddha
4. Krakucchanda Buddha
5. Kanakamuni Buddha
6. Kashyapa Buddha
7. Shakyamuni Buddha

Maitreya will be the next Buddha.

32 Signs of a Great Man
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A Buddha is a person who has reached perfection. Some believe that there are 32 physical features of a Buddha; these are the 32 marks of a Great Man from Vedic Brahmin folklore, but are mentioned in the Pāli canon. Some of these features are represented in art and sculpture. These are listed below.

1. Flat feet
2. Thousand-spoked wheel symbol on feet
3. Long, slender fingers
4. Flexible hands and feet
5. Webbed fingers and toes
6. Full-sized heels
7. Arched insteps
8. Thighs like a royal stag
9. Hands that reach below the knees
10. Sheathed male organ
11. Equal height and stretch of arms
12. Dark-colored hair
13. Graceful and curly body hair
14. Golden-hued body
15. Ten-foot halo around his body
16. Soft, smooth skin
17. Soles, palms, shoulders, and crown of head well-rounded
18. Area below armpits filled out
19. Lion-shaped body
20. Erect and upright body
21. Full, round shoulders
22. Forty teeth
23. White, even, and close teeth
24. Four pure white canine teeth
25. Jaw like a lion
26. Saliva that improves the taste of all food
27. Long and broad tongue
28. Deep and resonant voice
29. Deep blue eyes
30. Eyelashes like a royal bull
31. White curl of hair (ūrṇā) that emits light between eyebrows
32. Bump on the crown of the head

Related pages
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* Siddhartha Gautama
* Bodhisattva
* Buddhism