An Awakened One

So it is: when we enter the field of meaning, image, fable and myth arise. They sustain the collective domain.

And although the way the mythic Buddha – the figure who appears in the literature, art and temples of Asia – is shaped is in accord with a culture’s expression of veneration, all accounts are consistent in presenting a person of unwavering resolve, peerless depth and steady compassion.

‘For the welfare of gods and humans’ is one of the epithets associated with the Buddha; ‘impeccable in conduct and understanding’ and ‘Knower of the Worlds’ are others.

They make a clear point: an Awakened One pervades the entire cosmos with benevolent awareness.

This reflection by Ajahn Sucitto is from the book, Buddha Nature, Human Nature, (pdf) p. 78.