tathagata (tathāgata)

(Language: Sanskrit)

Short Description: The one who comes and the one who goes—the thus come, thus gone one.

Long Description: Sanskrit term (Jap. Nyorai) used to refer to a Buddha. It means the one who comes and the one who goes—the thus come, thus gone one. Tathātā means “truth” or “suchness;” consequently, one who comes from truth and goes to truth. The Buddhas as enlightened beings are manifested from the realm of truth.

Sources: Living in Amida’s Universal Vow: Essays in Shin Buddhism, by Alfred Bloom