BUDDHA

(1) The Buddha is Siddartha who was the founder of Buddhism. He was the first to attain enlightenment, and then taught others how to attain it. His first name is Siddartha, his family name was Gautama . He was a member of the Shakya clan, and hence is called Shakyamuni , "the wise one of the Shakyas." He is also known as Tathagata , "the Enlightened One." (2) Mahayana Buddhism holds that there are five Buddhas who have/will manifest themselves in the earthly realm. The fifth Buddha, who will come in the future, is known as Maitreya . (3) In Mahayana, a buddha is someone who has attained enlightenment .