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In Buddhism, a Buddha (Sanskrit, Pa-li) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome anger, greed, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. Enlightenment (or Nirvana) is the highest form of happiness. It only applies the the first one who has acheived this with out prior knowledge of buddhism. When all knowlegde of buddism is lost and one becomes enlighten then we have a true buddha. The name Buddha today is commonly used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama (Pali: Siddhattha Gotama), the historical founder of Buddhism. Buddha literally means "awakened" or "that which has become aware". It is the past participle of the Sanskrit root budh, i.e. "to awaken", "to know", or "to become aware". The word Buddha is simply a title that means 'The Awakened One'.
The teachings of the Buddha are called the Dharma. The Dharma teaches that all suffering arises from attachments, particularly attachments to worldly desires. Nirvana is achieved by recognizing how these attachments cause us suffering, and no longer being ignorant to them.
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