Tathagata

/teuh tah"geuh teuh/, n.

one of the names of Buddha.

[ < Skt, Pali tathagata]

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Epithet of the Buddha that he employed primarily when referring to himself.

He also used it to refer to other buddhas who preceded him and who would follow. Tathagatha refers to one who has trod the path to full awakening and so reached the end of suffering and escaped samsara. The implication is that the path is open to all who would follow it. In later Mahayana Buddhism, Tathagata came to mean the essential buddha nature found in everyone.

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▪ Buddha

      (Sanskrit and Pali), one of the titles of a buddha and the one most frequently employed by the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, when referring to himself. The exact meaning of the word is uncertain; Buddhist commentaries present as many as eight explanations. The most generally adopted interpretation is “one who has thus (tatha) gone (gata)” or “one who has thus (tatha) arrived (agata),” implying that the historical Buddha was only one of many who have in the past and will in the future experience enlightenment and teach others how to achieve it.

      In later Mahayana Buddhism, Tathagata came to convey the essential buddha nature hidden in everyone.

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