弘明集 1.7

1.7

Someone asked: 'Why is he properly called Buddha? What does "Buddha" mean?' Mouzi said: 'Buddha is an honorary title, just as the Three Sovereigns are called divine and the Five Emperors are called sage. The Buddha is the primal ancestor of Dao and virtue, and the ancestral source of divine brilliance. The word "Buddha" means "awakened." In vague and shifting transformation, he divides his body and disperses his form; now existing, now gone. He can be small or large, round or square, old or young, hidden or manifest. Treading into fire, he is not burned; stepping on blades, he is not harmed. In impurity, he is not disgraced; in misfortune, he suffers no calamity. Wishing to travel, he flies; sitting down, he radiates light. Therefore, he is titled Buddha.'