thế tôn

Đức Thế Tôn ngồi thiền dưới gốc cây bồ đề.

Definition

1. Proper Noun (Title):
   • The World-Honored One: A reverential title for the Buddha, particularly Gautama Buddha, in Buddhist tradition. It signifies supreme respect, acknowledging his enlightenment and supreme status in the world.
   • The Exalted One: A translation emphasizing the Buddha's elevated and venerable position above all worldly beings.

Usage Examples

• Proper Noun:
  • Đức Thế Tôn đã thuyết giảng về Tứ Diệu Đế. (The World-Honored One preached about the Four Noble Truths.)
  • Các đệ tử quy y Đức Thế Tôn. (The disciples took refuge in the Exalted One.)
  • Kinh Phật thường bắt đầu bằng cụm từ "Tôi nghe như vầy: Một thời, Thế Tôn..." (Buddhist sutras often begin with the phrase "Thus I have heard: At one time, the World-Honored One...")

Advanced Usage

• The title is almost exclusively used in a religious context, specifically within Buddhist scriptures, teachings, and formal address. It is a term of the highest veneration, not used for other beings.

Variants and Related Words

• Đức Thế Tôn: This is the most common form, where "Đức" is an honorific prefix meaning "Venerable" or "His Holiness," making the full term "The Venerable World-Honored One."
• Phật Thế Tôn: A compound form explicitly meaning "Buddha, the World-Honored One."

Synonyms

• The Buddha: The enlightened one.
• The Blessed One: Another common epithet for the Buddha (often translated from "Bhagavā").
• The Tathagata: A title the Buddha used for himself, meaning "one who has thus gone" or "one who has thus come."

Related Terms

• Phật (n): Buddha. A more general term.
• Bụt (n): An older, folkloric Vietnamese term for Buddha.
• Như Lai (n): Tathagata, another exalted title for the Buddha.