ABC

Buddha

Heavenly beings and deities

Buddha (Chin. fo, Jap. butsu) is an honorific title, and in Sanskrit means ‘the Awakened One [to highest wisdom]’. The term buddha is traditionally often rendered as ‘the Enlightened One’. Buddha Shakyamuni or ‘the historical Buddha’ is often used to refer to Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who is held to be the founder of Buddhism.