What is a Buddha? An answer from Indian Buddhist narrative traditions
Room G.H01 of Arts Complex, 7 Woodland Road
Speaker
Dr Naomi Appleton (University of Edinburgh)
Chair
Dr Yael Shiri (University of Bristol)
Abstract
When we define a buddha we often do so in comparison with other related categories. Unlike an arhat, who is liberated through hearing the teachings of a buddha, a buddha realises the dharma himself. Unlike a pratyekabuddha, a buddha – or to give his fuller title, a samyaksambuddha – makes the dharma available to others, founding a saṅgha or community of practitioners. All three, we might go on to note, have nonetheless achieved the same thing: nirvāṇa or release from the cycle of rebirth and redeath. But how well understood are these three categories, and how stable are the notions of what distinguishes them from one another? In this paper I will explore what a buddha is according to early collections of stories of past lives. I will argue that narrative literature, particularly the innovative genre of avadāna (Sanskrit) or apadāna (Pāli), is crucial to attempts to explore and explain the differences between buddhas and other liberated beings in the centuries following the Buddha’s death.
Bio
Naomi Appleton is Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions at the University of Edinburgh. Her primary research interest is the role of narrative literature in the construction, challenge and communication of religious ideas, with a focus on early India and especially Buddhism.
All are welcome!