List of the named Buddhas
| Part of a series on |
| Buddhism |
|---|
 |
|
In countries where Theravāda Buddhism is practiced by the majority of people (Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand), it is customary for Buddhists to hold elaborate festivals, especially during the fair weather season, paying homage to the 28 Buddhas described in the Buddhavamsa. The Buddhavamsa is a text which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and the 27 Buddhas who preceded him.[1] The Buddhavamsa is part of the Khuddaka Nikāya, which in turn is part of the Sutta Piṭaka. The Sutta Piṭaka is one of three main sections of the Pāli Canon of Theravāda Buddhism.
The first three of these Buddhas—Taṇhaṅkara, Medhaṅkara, and Saraṇaṅkara—lived before the time of Dīpankara Buddha. The fourth Buddha, Dīpankara, is especially important, as he was the Buddha who gave niyatha vivarana (prediction of future Buddhahood) to the Brahmin youth who would in the distant future become the bodhisattva Gautama Buddha.[2] After Dīpankara, 23 more noble people (ariya-puggala) would attain enlightenment before Gautama, the historical Buddha.
The 28 Buddhas described in the Buddhavamsa are not the only Buddhas believed to have existed. Indeed, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Ornament Scripture), Gautama Buddha taught that he had previously existed in innumerable incarnations throughout past kalpas.[3]
Many Buddhists also pay homage to the future (and 29th) Buddha, Maitreya. According to Buddhist scripture, Maitreya will be a successor of Gautama who will appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure Dharma. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Jambudvipa (the terrestrial realm, where ordinary human beings live).
The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity
According to Buddhist tradition, each kalpa has 1,000 Buddhas.[4] The previous kalpa was the vyuhakalpa (Glorious aeon), and the present kalpa is called the bhadrakalpa (Auspicious aeon).[5] The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity (Saptatathāgata) are seven Buddhas which bridge the vyuhakalpa and the bhadrakalpa:[6]
- Vipassī (the 998th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Sikhī (the 999th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Vessabhū (the 1000th and final Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Kakusandha (the first Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Koṇāgamana (the second Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Kassapa (the third Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Gautama (the fourth and present Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
Following the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity will be Maitreya, the fifth and future Buddha of the bhadrakalpa.
The 29 named Buddhas
| Pāli name[7][8][9] | Caste[8][9] | Birthplace[8][9] | Parents[8][9] | Bodhirukka (tree of enlightenment)[8][9][10] | Incarnation of Gautama[9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taṇhaṅkara | King Sunandha, and Queen Sunandhaa | Rukkaththana | |||
| 2 | Medhaṅkara | Sudheva, and Yasodhara | Kaela | |||
| 3 | Saraṇaṅkara | Sumangala, and Yasawathi | Pulila | |||
| 4 | Dīpankara | Brahmin[11] | Rammawatinagara | Sudheva, and Sumedhaya | Pipphala | Sumedha (also Sumati or Megha Mānava, a rich Brahman)[12] |
| 5 | Koṇḍañña | Kshatriya[11] | Rammawatinagara | Sunanda, and Sujata | Salakalyana | Vijitawi (a Chakravarti in Chandawatinagara of Majjhimadesa) |
| 6 | Maṅgala | Brahmin[11] | Uttaranagara (Majhimmadesa) | Uttara, and Uttara | a naga | Suruchi (in Siribrahmano) |
| 7 | Sumana | Kshatriya[11] | Mekhalanagara | Sudassana and Sirima | a naga | King Atulo, a Naga |
| 8 | Revata[13] | Brahmin[11] | Sudhannawatinagara | Vipala and Vipula | a naga | A Veda-versed Brahman |
| 9 | Sobhita | Kshatriya[11] | Sudhammanagara | Sudhammanagara (father) and Sudhammanagara (mother) | a naga | Sujata, a Brahman (in Rammavati) |
| 10 | Anomadassi | Brahmin[11] | Chandawatinagara | Yasava and Yasodara | ajjuna | A Yaksha king |
| 11 | Paduma[14] | Kshatriya[11] | Champayanagara | Asama, and Asama | salala | A lion |
| 12 | Nārada | Dhammawatinagara | King Sudheva and Anopama | sonaka | a tapaso in Himalayas | |
| 13 | Padumuttara[15] | Kshatriya | Hansawatinagara | Anurula, and Sujata | salala | Jatilo an ascetic |
| 14 | Sumedha | Kshatriya | Sudasananagara | Sumedha (father), and Sumedha (mother) | nipa | Native of Uttaro |
| 15 | Sujāta | Sumangalanagara | Uggata, and Pabbavati | welu | a chakravarti | |
| 16 | Piyadassi[16] | Sudannanagara | Sudata, and Subaddha | kakudha | Kassapa, a Brahmin (at Siriwattanagara) | |
| 17 | Atthadassi | Kshatriya | Sonanagara | Sagara and Sudassana | champa | Susino, a Brahman |
| 18 | Dhammadassī | Kshatriya | Surananagara | Suranamaha, and Sunanada | bimbajala | Indra, the leader of the gods (devas) |
| 19 | Siddharttha | Vibharanagara | Udeni, and Suphasa | kanihani | Mangal, a Brahman | |
| 20 | Tissa | Khemanagara | Janasando, and Paduma | assana | King Sujata of Yasawatinagara | |
| 21 | Phussa[17] | Kshatriya | Kāśi | Jayasena, and Siremaya | amalaka | Vijitavi |
| 22 | Vipassī | Kshatriya | Bandhuvatinagara | Vipassi (father), and Vipassi (mother) | patali | King Atula |
| 23 | Sikhī | Kshatriya | Arunavattinagara | Arunavatti, and Paphavatti | pundariko | Arindamo (at Paribhuttanagara) |
| 24 | Vessabhū | Kshatriya | Anupamanagara | Suppalittha, and Yashavati | sala | Sadassana (in Sarabhavatinagara) |
| 25 | Kakusandha | Brahmin | Khemavatinagara | Agidatta the purohitta Brahman of King Khema, and Visakha | airisa | King Khema[18] |
| 26 | Koṇāgamana | Brahmin[19] | Sobhavatinagara | Yannadatta the Brahman, and Uttara | udumbara | King Pabbata of a mountainous area in Mithila |
| 27 | Kassapa[20] | Brahmin | Baranasinagara | Brahmadatta a Brahman, and Dhanavati | nigroda | Jotipala (at Vappulla) |
| 28 | Gautama | Kshatriya | Lumbini | King Suddhodana, and Maya | peepal a.k.a. fig (Ficus religiosa) | Siddartha Gautama, a Kshatriya |
| 29 | Maitreya | foretold as a future Buddha | Buddha of the future | Buddha of the future |
See also
- 35 Buddhas
- Bhadrakalpikasutra
- Five Dhyani Buddhas
- Glossary of Buddhism
- List of bodhisattvas
- List of Buddha claimants
- List of Buddhas
- Praises to the Twenty-One Taras
Notes
- ↑ Morris, R, ed. (1882). "XXVII: List of the Buddhas". The Buddhavamsa. London: Pali Text Society. pp. 66–7.
- ↑ "Life of the Buddha: Dīpankara's Prediction of Enlightenment". The Huntington Archive - The Ohio State University. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- ↑ The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Shambhala Publication. 2014.
- ↑ "Chapter 36: The Buddhas in the three periods of time". Buddhism in a Nutshell Archives. Hong Kong: Buddhistdoor International. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
- ↑ Buswell Jr., RE; Lopez Jr., DS (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (1st ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3.
- ↑ Buswell Jr., RE; Lopez Jr., DS (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (1st ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 776. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3.
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Buddha, pp. 294-305
- 1 2 3 4 5 Davids, TWR; Davids, R (1878). "The successive bodhisats in the times of the previous Buddhas". Buddhist birth-stories; Jataka tales. The commentarial introduction entitled Nidana-Katha; the story of the lineage. London: George Routledge & Sons. pp. 115–44.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Horner, IB, ed. (1975). The minor anthologies of the Pali canon. Volume III: Buddhavaṁsa (Chronicle of Buddhas) and Cariyāpiṭaka (Basket of Conduct). London: Pali Text Society. ISBN 0-86013-072-X.
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Bodhirukka, p. 319
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Beal (1875), Beal S, Chapter III: Exciting to religious sentiment, pp. 10-17
- ↑ Ghosh, B (1987). "Buddha Dīpankara: twentyfourth predecessor of Gautama" (PDF). Bulletin of Tibetology. 11 (new series) (2): 33–8. ISSN 0525-1516.
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Revata, pp. 754-5
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Paduma, p. 131
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Padumuttara, pp. 136-7
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Piyadassi, p. 207
- ↑ Malalasekera (2007), Phussa, p. 257
- ↑ Prophecies of Kakusandha Buddha, Konagamana Buddha and Kassapa Buddha
- ↑ Barua, A (2008). Dīgha-Nikāya: romanize Pāli text with English translation 2 (1st ed.). Delhi, India: New Bharatiya Book Corporation. p. 6. ISBN 81-8315-096-9.
- ↑ Cunningham, A (1880). "XVIII: Tandwa". Report of Tours in the Gangetic Provinces from Badaon to Bihar, in 1875-76 and 1877-78. Calcutta, India: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. pp. 70–8.
References
- Beal, S (1875). The romantic legend of Sâkya Buddha: from the Chinese-Sanscrit. London: Trubner & Company, Ludgate Hill.
- Malalasekera, GP (2007). Dictionary of Pāli proper names. Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. ISBN 978-81-208-3020-2.
- Buswell Jr., RE; Lopez Jr., DS (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (1st ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3.
Further reading
- Law, BC, ed. (1938). "The lineage of the Buddhas". The Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon: Buddhavaṃsa, the lineage of the Buddhas, and Cariyā-Piṭaka or the collection of ways of conduct (1st ed.). London: Milford.
- Takin, MV, ed. (1969). "The lineage of the Buddhas". The Genealogy of the Buddhas (1st ed.). Bombay: Bombay University Publications.
- Vicittasarabivamsa, U (1992). "Chapter IX: The chronicle of twenty-four Buddhas". In Ko Lay, U; Tin Lwin, U. The great chronicle of Buddhas, Volume One, Part Two (PDF) (1st ed.). Yangon, Myanmar: Ti=Ni Publishing Center. pp. 130–321.
External links
The chronicle of twenty-four Buddhas, by Mingun Sayadaw, edited and translated by Professor U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin, Yangon, Myanmar. Includes only chapters 1, 22, 23, and 24.