Zen & Buddhism Q&As

What does ‘buddha’ mean?

The word buddha is Sanskrit for awakened. As a noun, it refers to someone who has woken up.

In Buddhism the word refers to someone who has woken up to the true nature of themselves and the world around them. In some traditions, it is reserved for Gautama Shakyamuni, his traditional predecessors and successors. In others, it is widely used with reference to teachers regarded as enlightened.