- The God
- An incarnation of God
- A messenger of God
Buddha is a normal human being. He was born as a normal child from mother's womb. He suffered from illnesses , and passed away as a common person. He didn't claim any superior powers from external immortal sources. Instead he revealed the ultimate truth in the world. This is not an invention, but a revelation. He admitted that any human being ( and only a human being ) can become Buddha. This made humans the most superior in the universe. Therefore, humans needn't dependent upon so called superiors.
His base of teaching is one is one's refuge. Buddha revealed the path to freedom. That is the end of the death and life cycle (in simple terms ). It's up to you to understand and learn to reach the ultimate goal Nibbana.
The freedom of thought is highly valued and appreciated in Buddhism. There is nothing hidden from the disciples. This is very important because thee ultimate realization of truth is all about clearing doubts in the path. trivially, it should all be logical and questionable.In Kalama Suttra buddha preached that disciple should not be led by reports, traditions or hearsay. As long as it will help you to attain Nibbana, it can be queried and understood in a logical context.
In the last moment in his life, also Buddha asked disciples to ask any questions which they needed to clarify. Further he told if someone reluctant to ask such questions in this last moment, let their friends know and ask via them. As said, this is also a good example where Buddha didn't want to hide information.
