Did the Buddha Teach to Be Called 'Buddha'?-Focusing on the Meaning of Brāhmaṇa and How Buddhist Authors (re)Formulated His Words to Praise Him

Bibliographic Data

ID3496156
AuthorsEfraín Villamor Herrero (0000-0002-8274-3750, Teikyo University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue11
Pages1315
Publication date2024-10-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15111315
OpenAlexW4403875543
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited15

The attainment of enlightenment by Gautama Buddha is the very beginning of Buddhism as a religious phenomenon. Because of his attainment of enlightenment, he has been remembered as Buddha for centuries, even though it is uncertain whether buddha was the preferred title to remember him by from the earliest times. Previous scholarship has demonstrated that the term buddha was a common noun in the Indian religious context, and it was also employed to refer to his higher disciples. The verses of the Suttanipāta represent a complex corpus rich in many fundamental concepts common to Jain religious thought. Many epithets were introduced by Buddhists to praise their monastic founder as Jains do. Among them, buddha does not seem to be the preferred one among them. Contrarily, by redefining brāhmaṇa, Buddhists participate in the ascetic discourse of praising their master as the one who deserves to be regarded as that ideal. This paper argues that Buddhists advocated their master as a brāhmaṇa, a title that is not only consistent with the teachings of Jains but also one that may have preceded the popularity of Buddha as his most memorable title

Buddhism · Buddhist philosophy · Epistemology · Gautama Buddha · Praise · Theology · Chinese history and philosophy · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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