A term for a Buddha, or someone who is completely spiritually enlightened, or awakened. Means “one who has arrived in suchness” or “one who has gone to suchness” – in other words, one who has arrived/gone over to complete knowledge of the Truth.
Related Articles:
- Glossary
- 272 – Keizan’s Denkoroku Chapter 3: Ananda and the FlagpoleAccording to Zen master Keizan’s Denkoroku, Ananda spent 20 years at the Buddha’s side. He had a perfect memory, understood all the teachings, was an impeccable practitioner, and attained arhatship. Despite this, the Buddha made Kashyapa his Dharma heir, and Ananda spent another 20 years practicing with Kashyapa. Finally, Ananda asked Kashyapa, “What am I missing?” This chapter of the Denkoroku discusses their subsequent exchange and Ananda’s long-awaited awakening.
- 294 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 10 – Connecting with the Ineffable, or What Is Most TrueThe tenth Field of Zen is Connecting with the Ineffable. Zen is not based on a belief in God in a theistic sense. However, at its core there is a strong emphasis on a much more profound, inspiring, significant, and hopeful Reality than the bleak, mundane, and discouraging one people sometimes experience in their ordinary daily lives. Call this “greater reality” anything you like – God, the Divine, That Which is Greater, Other Power, the Ineffable, the Great Mystery, the Great Matter of Life and Death – but you have tasted it at peak moments of your life. Zen encourages you to explore and deepen your relationship with the Great Matter.
- 294 – Diez Campos del Zen, Campo 10 – Conectando con lo Inefable, o lo que es más Verdadero
- 305 – Dharma Foundations: Truths to Rely on No Matter WhatReligions and spiritual paths are meant to give you strength and help you find meaning. Many people derive strength and meaning through faith in an all-powerful God who works in mysterious ways but ultimately has your best interests in mind. Buddhism doesn’t teach this kind of faith, but it does call attention to many truths upon which we can rely for strength and meaning, no matter what happens to us personally or in the world. For the purpose of this discussion, I’m going call the truths we can rely on “Dharma Foundations.”
Alternative Meanings:
- tathagathaAnother way to refer to a completely awakened being, or buddha, sometimes translated as "one who has thus gone" or "one who has thus come."
