Individuals called Shakyamuni or Buddha.
- [[Shakyamuni]] comes from Gautama's country of origin, "Shakia".
- Shakya saint" = "Shakhyamuni (Sanskrit)" = "Shakyamuni" -> "Shakyamuni" for short.
- It's like a [[cell phone abbreviated as keitai]], but the body part is missing.
- It can also be abbreviated as "[[exegete]]."
- [Buddha” means “Awakened One” in Sanskrit.
- Used in the plural in early scripture
- Later there was a change of interpretation to refer to Gautama alone (probably an attempt to deify Gautama as an individual).
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In primitive Buddhism, as taught by the Buddha, buddhā was a common noun referring to an “awakened person” and not a proper noun referring to the Buddha alone. In fact, the plural form of Buddha (buddhā) often appears in the primitive Buddhist scriptures. However, after the death of the Buddha, in early Buddhism, the Buddha alone is considered to be the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
- I saw the title “Lotus Sutra Anyone can become a Buddha.” and was confused by the image of becoming a Gautama, which is not the case.
- Buddhism in Gautama’s time: “Anyone can become an enlightened person (Buddha).
- Buddhism after Gautama’s death: “Only Gautama can be Buddha! Buddha = Gautama!”
- Lotus Sutra: “Anyone Can Be a Buddha!”
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