“The current Buddha: Who?”
The current Buddha is Buddha Shakyamuni or historical Buddha, because it is his doctrine that Buddhists follow, however there are countless Buddhas (enlightened beings) however they have either not taken rebirth on this planet or were deciples of Buddha Shakyamuni.
To be honest, I don’t think its an actual title like the dalia lama. Anyone can become a Buddha; its simply a term like ‘father’, ‘minister’ etc.
Answer:
“Buddha” is not a title like “Pope” or “King” it indicates a condition of enlightenment. It is not given to a single person and it is not limited to one person. Monotheistic religions sometimes have a problem with the concept that there is no one in charge.
In Mahayana Buddhism any number of enlightened individuals can forego Nirvana to return to the world to help others. Typically the designation of “buddha” or “bohhisattva” is limited to leaders of Buddhist thought or teachers.
HH the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are examples of many lineages of living Buddhas (tulku) in Tibetan Buddhism.
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Do you believe in this answer? Come visit and see in India then you will get an answer.
