Buddha

A transliteration of the Sanskrit word Buddha. It is also called Butsu or Hotoke. The word Buddha originates from budh (to awaken), and means "an awakened person" or "an enlightened one," that is, "a person who has realized the truth, essence, and true nature." It was originally a common noun and was also used in Jainism, which was contemporary with Buddhism. Gautama Siddhartha was one of these people, and later became Gautama Buddha, who is none other than Shaka, the founder of Buddhism. In China, it was transliterated as Futo, which was introduced to Japan as Futo, and the character Ke was added to it, eventually becoming Hotoke. It is believed that Butsu is not an abbreviation of Buddha, and that Buddha became Bud during the process of introduction. The transliteration of Buddha became widespread after the Tang dynasty.

[Mitsunori Saegusa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

サンスクリット語のブッダBuddhaの音写。仏(ぶつ)、「ほとけ」ともいう。Buddhaはbudh（目覚める）を語源とし、「目覚めた人」「覚者」、すなわち「真理、本質、実相を悟った人」を表し、もとは普通名詞であり、仏教と同時代のジャイナ教でも用いた。ゴータマ・シッダールタはその一人で、のちゴータマ・ブッダとなり、それが仏教を創始した釈迦(しゃか)にほかならない。中国では浮図(ふと)などと音写し、それが日本に「ふと」として伝わり、これに「け」を加えて、やがて「ほとけ」となった。なお仏は仏陀の略ではなく、伝来の過程でBuddhaがBudとなったものと推定される。唐以降は仏陀の音写が広まる。

［三枝充悳］

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