Venerable Guang Xing
The University of Hong Kong, (Hong Kong)
There are numerous biographies of the Buddha written by ancient and modern Buddhists and scholars in which we find many miracles and legends that make Śākyamuni Buddha a superhuman being. However, when we read the Pāli Nikāyas and Chinese Āgams, the Buddha is depicted as a human being with human emotions. In this short paper, I will discuss four characteristics of the Buddha’s human personality: (1) the Buddha as a practical teacher; (2) the Buddha as a confident and tolerant teacher; (3) the emotions and indignations of the Buddha; and (4) the humours of the Buddha.
(Presented in the International Conference on Buddhist Studies: Buddha's Biography – Buddhist Legends, 18-19 July 2015, Le Meridien Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Department of Thai, Faculty of Arts, The Pali and Sanskrit Section, Department of Eastern Languages, Faculty of Arts and Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University)