Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun bodhi (/ˈboʊdi/; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: bodhi) means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect, of a Buddha.[web 1] The verbal root budh- means "to awaken", and its literal meaning is closer to awakening. Although the term buddhi is also used in other Indian philosophies and traditions, its most common usage is in the context of Buddhism. Vimukti is the freedom from or release of the fetters and hindrances.
For other uses, see Enlightenment (disambiguation).
The term enlightenment was popularised in the Western world through the 19th-century translations of British philologist Max Müller. It has the Western connotation of general insight into transcendental truth or reality. The term is also being used to translate several other Buddhist terms and concepts, which are used to denote (initial) insight (prajna (Sanskrit), wu (Chinese), kensho and satori (Japanese));[1][2] knowledge (vidya); the "blowing out" (nirvana) of disturbing emotions and desires; and the attainment of supreme Buddhahood (samyak sam bodhi), as exemplified by Gautama Buddha.
What exactly constituted the Buddha's awakening is unknown. It may have involved the knowledge that liberation was attained by the combination of mindfulness and dhyāna, applied to the understanding of the arising and ceasing of craving. The relation between dhyana and insight is a core problem in the study of Buddhism, and is one of the fundamentals of Buddhist practice.
Etymology[edit]
Bodhi, Sanskrit बोधि,[web 2] "awakening",[3] "perfect knowledge",[web 2] "perfect knowledge or wisdom (by which a man becomes a बुद्ध [Buddha[web 3]] or जिन [jina, arahant; "victorious", "victor"[web 4]], the illuminated or enlightened intellect (of a Buddha or जिन)".[web 1]
The word Bodhi is an abstract noun, formed from the verbal root *budh-,[3] Sanskrit बुध,[web 3][web 5] "to awaken, to know",[3] "to wake, wake up, be awake",[web 5] "to recover consciousness (after a swoon)",[web 5] "to observe, heed, attend to".[web 5]
It corresponds to the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati, बोदति, "become or be aware of, perceive, learn, know, understand, awake"[web 6] or budhyate (Sanskrit).
The feminine Sanskrit noun of *budh- is बुद्धि, buddhi, "prescience, intuition, perception, point of view".[web 3]
Translation[edit]
Robert S. Cohen notes that the majority of English books on Buddhism use the term "enlightenment" to translate the term bodhi.[4] The root budh, from which both bodhi and Buddha are derived, means "to wake up" or "to recover consciousness".[4] Cohen notes that bodhi is not the result of an illumination, but of a path of realization, or coming to understanding.[4] The term "enlightenment" is event-oriented, whereas the term "awakening" is process-oriented.[4] The western use of the term "enlighten" has Christian roots, as in Calvin's "It is God alone who enlightens our minds to perceive his truths".[5]
Early 19th-century bodhi was translated as "intelligence".[5] The term "enlighten" was first being used in 1835, in an English translation of a French article,[6] while the first recorded use of the term 'enlightenment' is credited (by the Oxford English Dictionary) to the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (February 1836). In 1857 The Times used the term "the Enlightened" for the Buddha in a short article, which was reprinted the following year by Max Müller.[7] Thereafter, the use of the term subsided, but reappeared with the publication of Max Müller's Chips from a german Workshop, which included a reprint from the Times article. The book was translated in 1969 into German, using the term "der Erleuchtete".[8] Max Müller was an essentialist, who believed in a natural religion, and saw religion as an inherent capacity of human beings.[9] "Enlightenment" was a means to capture natural religious truths, as distinguished from mere mythology.[10][note 1] This perspective was influenced by Kantian thought, particularly Kant's definition of the Enlightenment as the free, unimpeded use of reason. Müller's translation echoed this idea, portraying Buddhism as a rational and enlightened religion that aligns with the natural religious truths inherent to human beings. [11]
By the mid-1870s it had become commonplace to call the Buddha "enlightened", and by the end of the 1880s the terms "enlightened" and "enlightenment" dominated the English literature.[7]
Buddha's awakening[edit]
Buddhahood[edit]
There are three recognized types of Buddha:[37]
Bodhi Day[edit]
Sakyamuni's awakening is celebrated on Bodhi Day. In Sri Lanka and Japan, different days are used for this celebration. According to the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka, Sakyamuni reached Buddhahood at the full moon in May. This is celebrated at Vesākha Pūjā, the full moon in May, known as Sambuddhatva jayanthi (or Sambuddha jayanthi).[web 12]