Understanding the Buddha: His Life and Teachings
…ken one' who is fully enlightened and who has realized nirvana without the benefit of a Buddha's teaching in the lifetime in which he attains it. A Buddha is generally regarded as omniscient.
-- The na…
Buddha, meaning 'awakened', refers to a fully enlightened being. Gotama was the historical Buddha, born in 623 B.C. as Prince Siddhattha in present-day Nepal. At 29, he renounced royal lif…