The ten powers, four types of fearlessness, three foundations of mindfulness, and the Buddha’s great compassion are known collectively in many of the Abhidharma traditions as the eighteen unique virtues of a Buddha. While some of the virtues listed may be possessed by others, only the Buddha possesses all eighteen virtues together. In addition, the Buddha is the first one to have discovered the way to liberation in this world in this time-period and no one can equal this initial accomplishment until the Dharma has once again been forgotten and must be rediscovered. The following conversation between a brahmin and Ananda after the Buddha’s passing into final nirvana should illustrate this point.

“Master Ananda, is there any single monk who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by Master Gotama, accomplished and fully enlightened?”

“There is no single monk, brahmin, who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by the Blessed One, accomplished and fully enlightened. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, the producer of the unproduced path, the declarer of the undeclared path; he was the knower of the path, the finder of the path, the one skilled in the path. But his disciples now abide following that path and become possessed of it afterwards.” (The Middle Length Discourses, p. 880 – 881)

Ultimately it is not any metaphysical quality or divine status or special powers which qualify a Buddha. The Buddha himself clearly stated that awakening to the Four Noble Truths is the primary quality of a Tathagata.

“Monks, there are these Four Noble Truths. What four? The noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. It is because he has fully awakened to these Four Noble Truths as they really are that the Tathagata is called the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One.” (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, p. 1854)

Taking all of these statements by the Buddha and his closest disciples together, the nature of the Buddha can be summarized in terms of his unassisted awakening, his compassion for the suffering of all beings, and the multitude of powers and abilities which made him the consummate teacher. In the living memory of humankind, the wisdom, compassion, and power of the Buddha has served as an inspiration to millions of people. Because of the Buddha’s teaching and personal example countless numbers of people through the ages have awakened to the Dharma for themselves, thereby achieving liberation and realizing their own capacity for selfless compassion and their own ability to relieve suffering and bring happiness to the world. The Buddha’s nature, while consisting of wisdom, compassion, and capability to an unprecedented degree, is not the sole property of a single man who lived 2,500 years ago. It is the nature of anyone who awakens to the true nature of life. It is the nature of our own lives, and that nature is able to express itself whenever anyone hears the Dharma, confidently and joyfully puts it into practice, and awakens to the Truth for themselves.