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As there have been endless enlightened ones across time and space, and it is
the natural impulse of Enlightenment to reach out to the unenlightened, there is
a continual progression of illumination radiating from the Enlightened to the
unenlightened. It may be said that every representation of Buddhist art,
literature, society, and culture is in some way a manifestation of this impulse
to spread Enlightenment. This impulse to transmit Enlightenment and an
individual's desire to become enlightened come together to make a bond of
transference in which the inspiration of an enlightened
awareness may be realized. It is like the day meeting the night with the rising
of the dawn
In Buddhism, it is not only Buddhas that are enlightened ones. Buddhas are those
beings to have gone from a state of unEnlightenment and reached the state of
Enlightenment. This is why one of the epithets of a Buddha is Thus Gone One.
There are also beings who always were, are, and will be enlightened, usually
called "Gods Who Transcend the World" (Lokottaradeva). These so called "Gods"
are not to be confused with the Gods of The World (Lokadeva), whose
lives are complete with all the glories of this world, but who ultimately must
pass on and take rebirth in another guise. There are also beings that have
realized Enlightenment, but have choosen not to leave the world out of the desire to
transmit Enlightenment within the world. These beings are called Enlightened Beings
(Bodhisattvas).
In many cases, a single enlightened being may manifest in any
of these ways, even at the same time, for Enlightenment is beyond the binding
logic of time, space, and categorization. An example is the Buddha
Amithabha, Limitless Light, manifesting as the Guru Padmasambhava, "Lotus
Grower," who in turn manifests as the King Gesar of gLing, an epic hero of the
transmission of Enlightenment as well as Royal conquest in Tibet.
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