In Buddhism, Buddha (/ˈbuːdə, ˈbʊdə/, which in classic Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the supreme goal of Buddhism, variously described as nirvana ("blowing out"), bodhi (awakening, enlightenment), and liberation (vimutti, vimoksa). A Buddha is also someone who fully understands the Dharma, the true nature of all things or phenomena (dharmas), the ultimate truth. Buddhahood (Sanskrit: buddhatva; Pali: buddhatta or buddhabhāva; Chinese: 成佛) is the condition and state of a buddha. This highest spiritual state of being is also termed sammā-sambodhi (Sanskrit: samyaksaṃbodhi; "full, complete awakening") and is interpreted in many different ways across schools of Buddhism.
The title of "Buddha" is most commonly used for Gautama Buddha, the historical founder of Buddhism, who is often simply known as "the Buddha". The title is also used for other beings who have achieved awakening and liberation (or vimoksha), such as the other human Buddhas who achieved enlightenment before Gautama; members of the Five Buddha Families such as Amitabha; and the bodhisattva Maitreya, known as the "Buddha of the future who will attain awakening at a future time."
Buddha är en titel inom buddhismen. På sanskrit betyder "budh" uppvaknad, öppen eller utspridd. Det finns två typer av buddhor:
Pratyekabuddhor
Samyaksambuddhor
Inom mahayana omtalas många buddhor förutom Gautama Buddha, såsom Amitabha, Akshobhya och Bhaisajyaguru
Theravadatraditionen i Sri Lanka försökte en gång i tiden att etablera termen "sravakabuddha" som en synonym till arahanter, i syfte att betona att de ansåg att arahanter var likgiltiga till samyaksambuddhor och pratyekabuddhor. Termen blev dock aldrig etablerad.
Den tibetanska översättningen av "buddha" är "sang rgyas". Det tibetanska ordet delar likt sanskritordet den dubbla bemärkelsen av "uppvaknad" och "utspridd". Detta syftar till att en buddha både har vaknat upp från ignoransens sömn samt spridit ut sitt sinne till all kunskap. (Wikipedia 2025)