Tathagata
Tathāgata (तथागत), literally The one who has come, is a Pali and Sanskrit word and spiritual title Gautama Buddha assumed and used to refer to himself in the Pali Canon.[1] It means "he who has arrived," "he who has worked his way upwards to perfection for the world's good," "he who...took seven equal steps in the same fashion as all previous Buddhas," "he who by the path of knowledge has come at the real essential of all things," "he who has won the Truth," "he who has discerned Truth," he who declares Truth, "he whose words and deeds accord," (i.e. one who is Aligned, he who is the "great physician whose physic is all-potent." [2]
Syncretic Terms
Perfected One > Bodhisattva, Rishis, Samyaksambuddha
Connected One > Arhat, Enlightened One, Messiah, Saint, Samyaksambuddha, Saoshyant, Witness
Avatar > Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Vow, Divine Messengers, Holy Ones, Messiah, Qutb, Samyaksambuddha, Saoshyant, Tathagata, Tirthankaras
Notes
The word is similar to the Theravada Buddhism arahant or arhat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tath%C4%81gata
Sanskrit TathAgata (तथागत) - The one who has come.
Appears to be a syncretic term for Avatar
A TathAgata is totally enlightened-- one who has attained "supreme and perfect insight!"[3]
A TathAgata is a power teacher - "...the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back.[4]
A TathAgata is one who founds "founds the sublime kingdom of righteousness" [5]
A TathAgata has power over the physical world "And lo! the streamlet which, stirred up by the wheels, was but just now become shallow, and was flowing fouledand turbid, had begun, when the venerable Ananda came up to it, to flow clear and bright and free from all turbidity.[6]
A TathAgata may experience transfiguration. ("...the colour of the skin of a TathAgata becomes clearly and exceedingly bright."
A TathAgata doesn't incarnate very often. "Few and far between are the Tathagatas, the Arahat Buddhas who appear in the world.[7]
Footnotes
- ↑ Chalmers, Robert. “Tthagaa.” The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 1 (1898): 106–7. http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ENG/bert.htm
- ↑ Chalmers, Robert. “Tthagaa.” The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 1 (1898): 106–7. http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ENG/bert.htm
- ↑ Rhys Davids, T. W.. The Book of Great Decease: MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA (With Active Table of Contents). Kindle Edition."
- ↑ Rhys Davids, T. W.. The Book of Great Decease: MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA (With Active Table of Contents). Kindle Edition."
- ↑ Rhys Davids, T. W.. The Book of Great Decease: MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA (With Active Table of Contents). Kindle Edition.
- ↑ Rhys Davids, T. W.. The Book of Great Decease: MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA (With Active Table of Contents). Kindle Edition."
- ↑ Rhys Davids, T. W.. The Book of Great Decease: MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA (With Active Table of Contents). Kindle Edition."
