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THE BUDDHIST DOCTRINE OF LIBERATION
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EPITHETS AND ATTRIBUTES OF BUDDHA
The word Buddha means 'knower', 'wise', 'awakened' and 'enlightened'. We have already mentioned that omniscience is an essential content of Enlightenment. The Buddha is in fact called sarvajña or omniscient. Spiritual blindness or ignorance (avidyā) is the root cause of bondage and suffering; bondage and suffering can be eradicated and perfect freedom can be attained by destroying (avidya) through perfect wisdom (prajña). It goes without saying that the Buddhist way to liberation consists primarily of wisdom or knowledge. A Buddha is the embodiment of highest knowledge. Although the word Buddha simply means knower or wise, it has become more or less a peculiar epithet, almost a name, of the historical founder of Buddhism. The Buddha is the knower of Four Holy Truths and Teacher of the truth of Not-self.
The Buddha is called Tathāgata. This word literally means 'thus came' or 'thus gone. According to one tradition He had gone to or come at the same spot (pada) or Nirvāṇa which was reached by the former Buddhas who had preceded Him. In other words Tathāgata means he who has arrived at the ultimate Reality. Dr L.M. Joshi translates the word Tathāgata as the 'Transcendent One'. Another epithet, sugata, means the Well Gone. According to one Buddhist commentator it means the One who has gone in a praiseworthy manner or the One who has become praiseworthy. A most common epithet of Buddha is arhat. This word means a Worthy One, he who has qualified for Nirvāṇa and who is worthy of receiving praise, honour and gifts. Another meaning of the word stresses negative achievements; according to this interpretation one becomes an arhat by killing (han) the enemies (ari) in the form of passions, sins, and defilements (klešas).
In the Buddhist texts hundreds of epithets or attributes of the Buddha are found. Some of these are the Compassionate One (kāruņika), Teacher (śāstā), the Liberated One (mukta), the Glorious One (bhagavant), the Conqueror of death (mārajita), the Self-born (svayambhū), the Holiness embodied (brahmabhūta), Truth Embodied (dharmabhůta) etc. . A perfect Buddha is possessed of ten intellectual powers mentioned above, hence He is called Daśabala. He also possesses four grounds of fearlessness or self-confidence (vaišáradya) due to which no one in the whole universe can blame Him by saying "You claim to be perfectly
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