Ideas of Edward Conze, by Theme

[British, b.1904, Professor at the University of Washington. Vice-President of the Buddhist Society]

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29. Religion / C. Spiritual Disciplines / 3. Buddhism
'Buddha' just means a person who is fully enlightened about life
     Full Idea: 'Buddha' is not the name of a person, but designates a type. 'Buddha' is Sanskrit for someone who is 'fully enlightened' about the nature and meaning of life.
     From: Edward Conze (Intros to 'Buddhist Scriptures' [1959], Ch.1)
     A reaction: There seems to be an unexplained rule that there is never more than one Buddha in any generation. This isn't controlled by gods, so I take it that everyone defers to the most enlightened one, even if they themselves are very advanced in enlightenment.