Ten Honorable
Titles of Buddha (Definition)

Ten Honorable Titles: Ten epithets for a Buddha, expressing his power, wisdom, virtue and compassion. There are several versions. The Juju Bibasha Ron lists them as follows:

(1) "Thus Come One"
(Sanskrit, tathagata; Japanese, nyorai).
One who has come from the world of truth. A Buddha embodies the fundamental truth of all phenomena and grasps the law of causality permeating past, present and future. Based on a different interpretation of the Sanskrit, the translation "Thus Gone One" is also used, meaning one who has gone to the world of truth, i.e., attained enlightenment. This interpretation was not generally adopted in the Chinese translations; nyorai simply means "thus come."

(2) "Worthy of Offerings"
(Sanskrit, arhat; Japanese, ogu)
One who is qualified to receive offerings from human and heavenly beings.

(3) "Right and Universal Knowledge"
(Sanskrit, samyak-sambuddha; Japanese, shohenchi)
One who comprehends all phenomena correctly and perfectly.

(4) "Perfect Clarity and Conduct"
(Sanskrit, vidya-charana-sampanna; Japanese, myogyosoku).
One who understands the eternity of past, present and future, and who performs good deeds perfectly.

(5) "Well Gone"
(Sanskrit, sugata; Japanese, zenzei)
One who has gone to the world of enlightenment.

(6) "Understanding the World"
(Sanskrit, lokavid; Japanese, sekenge)
One who understands all secular and religious affairs through his grasp of the law of causality.

(7) "Unexcelled Worthy"
(Sanskrit, anuttara; Japanese, mujoji).
One who stands supreme among all living beings.

(8) "Leader of People"
(Sanskrit, purusha-damya-sarathi; Japanese, jogojobu).
One who instructs and leads all people to enlightenment.

(9) "Teacher of Gods and Humans"
(Sanskrit, shasta devamanushyanam; Japanese, tenninshi).
A teacher who can guide all human and heavenly beings

(10) Buddha, the World-Honored One
(Sanskrit, buddha-bhagavat; Japanese, butsu-seson).
An awakened one, endowed with perfect wisdom and virtue, who can win the respect of all people. "Buddha" and "World-Honored One" are sometimes used as two separate titles, making a total of eleven honorable titles.