BUDDHA

Buddha is a generic name meaning the awakened/enlightened one, applied specifically to the figure of Sakyamuni (the wise one) Siddartha Buddha or more simply Tathagata – the historical founder of Buddhism. There is an abundance of stories of his life and teachings, and, whilst his own existence is not in question, scholars find it impossible to establish which of these is historically authentic. From a Buddhist perspective it is more important to take seriously the consistent diagnosis of the human condition as misleadingly self-preoccupied, when the truth is that there is no self that matters. Recognition of impermanence is the beginning of liberation.

Life

• The life and thought of the Buddha from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

• The life of Buddha from the Buddhist Centre

Writings

• Works on Buddhism in the Internet Sacred Texts Archive

• Ancient Buddhist Texts resources portal