| Buddha | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Siddhartha Gautama |
|
Born |
c. 563 BCE or 480 BCE |
|
Died |
c. 483 BCE or 400 BCE (aged 80) |
Origin[]
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha ('the awakened'), was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but renounced his home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation, he attained nirvana at Bodh Gaya in what is now India. The Buddha then wandered through the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, teaching and building a monastic order. Buddhist tradition holds he died in Kushinagar and reached parinirvana ("final release from conditioned existence").
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to freedom from ignorance, craving, rebirth, and suffering. His core teachings are summarized in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, a training of the mind that includes ethical training and kindness toward others, and meditative practices such as sense restraint, mindfulness, dhyana (meditation proper) and the concepts of the five skandhas and dependent origination, describing how all dharmas (both mental states and concrete 'things') come into being, and cease to be, depending on other dharmas, lacking an existence on their own svabhava).
A couple of centuries after his death, he came to be known by the title Buddha, which means 'Awakened One' or 'Enlightened One'. His teachings were compiled by the Buddhist community in the Vinaya, his codes for monastic practice, and the Sutta Piṭaka, a compilation of teachings based on his discourses. These were passed down in Middle Indo-Aryan dialects through an oral tradition. Later generations composed additional texts, such as systematic treatises known as Abhidharma, biographies of the Buddha, collections of stories about his past lives known as Jataka tales, and additional discourses, i.e., the Mahayana sutras.
Buddhism spread beyond the Indian subcontinent, evolving into a variety of traditions and practices. The Buddha is recognized in other religious traditions, such as Hinduism, where he is considered an avatar of Vishnu. His legacy is not only encapsulated in religious institutions, but in the iconography and art inspired by his life and teachings, ranging from aniconic symbols to iconic depictions in various cultural styles.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Buddha from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances include:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Light of Asia (1879)
- Siddhartha (in German - 1922)
- The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons
- The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient Records
- The Buddha's Path of Virtue: A Translation of the Dhammapada
- The Buddha: A Drama in Five Acts and Four Interludes by Paul Carus
- The Splendour of Asia: The Story and Teaching of the Buddha
- Journey into the West
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Life of Lord Buddha (1923)
- The Light of Asia (1925)
- Daibutsu Kaikoku (1934)
- Dedication of the Great Buddha (1952)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- It Really Happened #1
- It Rhymes with Lust
- Battle Fire #1
- Jungle Comics #19, 29, 101
- Adventures into the Unknown #66
- Kona #7
- Smash Comics #51
- Feature Comics #64
- Wonderworld #15
- Blackhawk #59, 88
- Green Hornet Comics #8
- Battle Attack #8
- Big Shot #13
- Battle Heroes #1
- Love Mystery #1
- Mystery Men Comics #19
- Black Cat #3
- Speed Comics #41
- Pep Comics #11
- Whiz Comics #33
- Weird Comics #4
- National Comics #2
Notes[]
- The films Daibutsu Kaikoku (1934) and Dedication of the Great Buddha (1952) are in the public domain because in July 2006, a Japanese court ordered all films produced before 1953, are public domain.