- Pratyekabuddha
A Pratyekabuddha (
Sanskrit ) or Paccekabuddha (Pāli ), literally "a lone buddha" , "a buddha on their own" or "a private buddha", is one of three types of enlightened beings according to some schools ofBuddhism . The other two types are theŚrāvakabuddha s andSamyaksambuddha s. They are said to achieve enlightenment on their own, without the use of teachers or guides, according to some traditions by contemplating the principle of dependent arising. They are said to arise only in ages where there is no Buddha and the Buddhist teachings (Sanskrit: "dharma "; Pāli: "dhamma") are lost. Many may arise at a single time. Unlike Supreme Buddhas (seebodhi ), their enlightenment is not foretold.Fact|date=October 2008Some schools assert that pratyekabuddhas are not omniscient, while others say that they are the same (in realisation) as
Bodhisattva Buddhas, but do not have the will to teach the entire Dharma. They do give moral teachings, but do not bring others to enlightenement. A pratyekabuddha leaves no IAST|saṅgha as a legacy to carry on the Dharma.Pratyekabuddhas (e.g. Darīmukha J.378, Sonaka J.529,) appear as teachers of Buddhist doctrine in pre-Buddhist times in several of the
Jātaka s. The experiences and enlightenment-verses uttered by Pratyekabuddhas are narrated in theKhaggavisāna-sutta of theSutta Nipāta .The
yāna or vehicle by which pratyekabuddhas achieve enlightenment is called the pratyekayāna, the "on-one's-own vehicle", in Mahayana tradition.In the
Majjhima Nikāya of thePāli Canon (Theravāda Buddhist scriptures) it says that offerings to Pratyekabuddhas are superior to offerings toArhat s and also that offerings toTathāgata s are superior to offerings to Pratyekabuddhas. This may imply that Pratyekabuddhas are superior to arhats but inferior to Tathāgatas in realization.References
* "The
Paccekabuddha : A Buddhist Ascetic". RiaKloppenborg . Brill, Leiden, Netherlands: 1974.
* [http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/pa/pacceka_buddha.htm Pacceka Buddha in Dictionary of Pali Proper Names]
* [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.116.piya.html MN 116: Isigili Sutta] "The Discourse at Isigili", as published on Access to Insightee also
*
Shravakabuddha
*Bodhi
*Three types of Buddha
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