List of Buddha claimants

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• claimed to have attained enlightenment and become buddhas
• claimed to be manifestations of bodhisattvas
• identified themselves as Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
  , or
• been honored as buddhas or bodhisattvas due to: being identified as the reincarnation of one such (e.g., the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama); popularity; evidence in the form of auspicious signs.

*Guan Yu Guan Yu Guan Yu was a general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the Shu Han, of which Liu Bei was the first emperor....		160-219	Legendary warrior during the late Eastern Han Dynasty Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....  and Three Kingdoms Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors....  period in ancient China. Today, many people, including both police and mafia, consider him to be a divine object of reverence. In certain schools of Taoism Taoism Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....  and Chinese Buddhism he has been deemed divine or semi-divine. Reverence for him may date back to the Sui dynasty Sui Dynasty The Sui Dynasty followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes.... . Many Buddhists accept him as a bodhisattva that guards the Buddhist faith and temples. He is known as Sangharama in Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India.... .
‡Wu Zetian Wu Zetian Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Emperor of China....		625-705	The only ruling female emperor in the history of China, and founder of her own dynasty, the Second Zhou dynasty. Ruled under the name Emperor Shengshen. Gained popular support by advocating Buddhism but ruthlessly persecuted her opponents within the royal family and the nobility. Proclaimed herself an incarnation of Maitreya and made Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....  the "holy capital".
‡Gung Ye Gung Ye Gung Ye was the king of a short-lived Taebong on the Korean peninsula. Although he was a member of the Silla royal family, he became a victim of power struggle among royal family members at the late 9th century Silla and at last became rebel leader against the unpopular Silla government, which almost abandoned the affairs of common people...		901-918	Korean warlord and king of the short-lived state of Taebong during the 10th century. Claimed to be the living incarnation of Maitreya and ordered his subjects to worship him. His claim was rejected by most Buddhist monks and later he was dethroned and killed by his own servants.
*The Dalai Lama Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and was the political leader of Lhasa-based Tibetan government between the 17th century and 1959.... s (Tenzin Gyatso)		1935-present	In Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhism religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India .... , the successive Dalai Lamas form a tulku Tulku A tulku is a Tibetan Buddhism lama who has, through phowa and siddhi, consciously determined to be reincarnation, often many times, in order to continue his Bodhisattva vow....  lineage of Gelugpa leaders that began in 1391. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama to be one of innumerable incarnations of Avalokitesvara Avalokitesvara Avalokitesvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhahood. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism.... , the bodhisattva of compassion. Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government, administering a large portion of the country from the capital Lhasa. The Dalai Lama is the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism, and the leaders of all four schools consider the Dalai Lama to be the highest lama of the Tibetan traditions. The current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th of the lineage.
‡Nurhaci Nurhaci Nurhaci is considered to be the founding father of the Manchu state. Nurhaci is also credited with ordering the creation of a written script for the Manchu language....		1559-1626	Also known as Emperor Tai Zu. Founder and leader of the Qing Dynasty Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 .... . Believed he was a manifestation of Manjushri Bodhisattva.
*Lu Zhongyi		1849-1925	The 17th patriarch of the I-Kuan Tao I-Kuan Tao I-Kuan Tao, also Yi Guan Dao, or usually initialized as IKT is a new religious movement that originated in twentieth-century China.... . I-Kuan Tao followers believe that he is the first leader of the "White Sun" Era, the era of the apocalypse, thus he is the incarnation of Maitreya
Peter Deunov Peter Deunov Peter Konstantinov Deunov was a spiritual master and founder of a School of Esoteric Christianity. He is called Master Beinsa Douno by his followers....		1864-1944	Also known as Master Beinsa Douno. Spiritual teacher, founder of a teaching and school of Esoteric Christianity Esoteric Christianity Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of Spirituality currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain Esotericism doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened", "initiated", or highly educated people.... . Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner was an Austrians philosopher, literary scholar, educator, architect, playwright, social thinker, and Esotericism. After gaining initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher, at the beginning of the twentieth century he founded a new spiritual movement, Anthroposophy, as an esoteric philosophy growing... , an Austrian philosopher, identified Master Beinsa Douno as a manifestation of Maitreya in the late 20th century.
*L. Ron Hubbard L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was an American science fiction writer who devised a self-help system called Dianetics, first published in 1950, which he developed over the next three decades into a set of doctrines and rituals he called Scientology....		1911-1986	Founder of the Church of Scientology Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is the largest organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology Scientology beliefs and practices.... . Declared himself to be "Metteya" (Maitreya) in the 1955 poem Hymn of Asia. In the book's preface, his editors indicated that Hubbard possessed specific physical characteristics said to be outlined in unnamed Sanskrit sources as properties of Maitreya.
Samael Aun Weor Samael Aun Weor Samael Aun Weor was a spiritual teacher, occultist, Esotericism and author. He established himself in Mexico in the 1950s where he founded the 'International Gnostic Movement'....		1917-1977	Samael Aun Weor stated in The Aquarian Message that "the Maitreya Buddha Samael is the Kalki Avatar of the New Age." The Kalkian Avatar and Maitreya Buddha, he claimed, are the same "White Rider" of the book of Revelation.
Rahmat Ahmad		1922–	Benjamin Creme Benjamin Creme Benjamin Creme is a British esotericist, lecturer, author, artist and chief editor of Share International magazine .He asserts that the second coming prophesied by many religions will come in the form of "Maitreya "....  Founder of Share International Share International Share International, formerly called the Tara Center, is an organization, sometimes labeled as a religious movement, that grew out of the teachings of the Scottish amateur painter Benjamin Creme with its main office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.... , Proclaims the present existence of a "World Teacher" called Maitreya.
Jim Jones Jim Jones James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 death of over 900 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the deaths of nine other people at a nearby airstrip and in Georgetown, Guyana....		1931–1978	Leader of the Peoples Temple Peoples Temple Peoples Temple was an organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, possessed over a dozen locations in California including its Peoples Temple in San Francisco....  cult. Possibly as a way to gather followers to his religious movement, he claimed to be a living incarnation the Buddha, as well as Jesus Christ, Pharaoh Akhenaten Akhenaten Akhenaten , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, who died 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for attempting to compel the Egyptian population in the monotheism worship of Aten, although there are doubts as to how successful he was at this.... , Father Divine Father Divine George Baker , also known as Father Divine, was an African American spirituality leader from about 1907 until his death. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" and George Baker early in his life....  and Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Lenin , born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov and also known by the pseudonyms V.I. Lenin and N. Lenin, was a Russians revolutionary, a Bolshevik Communism politician, the principal leader of the October Revolution and the first head of the USSR.... .
Ruth Norman (Uriel) Unarius Academy of Science Unarius is a non-profit organization founded in 1954 in Los Angeles, California and headquartered in El Cajon. The organization purports to advance a new interdimensional science of life based upon fourth dimensional physics principles....		1930s-1994	Founder of the of the Unarius Academy of Science. Claims to have had fifty-five past lives, some included were reincarnations of the Buddha, Socrates Socrates Socrates was a Classical Greece Philosophy. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students.... , King Arthur King Arthur King Arthur is a legendary Britons leader who, according to medieval histories and Romance , led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century.... , Confucius Confucius This articles talks about a Chinese thinker and social philosopher. For a food company in China with its brand name "Master Kong", please refer to Tingyi Holding Corporation....  and a king of Atlantis Atlantis Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias .In Plato's account, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC.... .
*Lu Sheng-yen Lu Sheng-yen Lu Sheng-Yen , commonly referred to by followers as Master Lu is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, a New religious movement Buddhist sect with teachings taken from Sutrayana and Vajrayana , as well as Taoism....		1945-	Founder and spiritual teacher of the newly created Buddhist lineage called the True Buddha School True Buddha School The True Buddha School is a modern Vajrayana Buddhism Buddhist sect with influence from Sutrayana and Taoism based in Taiwan.Founded in the late 1980s, the founder of this sect is Lu Sheng-yen , often referred to by his followers as a tulku, a Tibetan term for a reincarnated teacher or deity.... . Claims that, in the late 80s, Lu had reached enlightenment while training under a formless teacher. Lu claims to be an incarnation of Padmakumara, a deity in the Western Pure Land kingdom. He has since then called himself "Living Buddha Rinpoche Rinpoche or Rimpoche is an honorific title used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one". The title is generally reserved for tulkus and those recognized by the proper authorities within a lineage as "choje lamas" ....  Lian Sheng".
Claude Vorilhon (Raël)		1946–	Claims that, in 1973, he was visited by extraterrestrial beings who informed him that he was to found a movement which would bring the world to a new enlightenment. Published his first book in 1973, concerning the alleged encounter. The International Raelian Movement currently has approximately 60,000 followers in 86 countries worldwide. Claims to be Maitreya, based on evidence such as the traditional year of Maitreya's arrival, the Buddhist year 3000. There are two calendars in Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal.... , corresponding to the Northern branch (1973 CE = "Northern" Buddhist year 3000) and Southern branch (1973 CE = "Southern" Buddhist year 2417). Other support for Raël's claim includes ancient Buddhist wall carvings allegedly depicting drawings of the arrival of UFOs in the mountains. According to the Raelian Movement, Rael's encounters with extraterrestrials took place in an inactive volcano which he had previously frequented.
*Ching Hai Suma Ching Hai Supreme Master Ching Hai, or Suma Ching Hai , is the founder and spiritual teacher of the Quan Yin Method. She is also a poet, painter, musician, jewelry designer, fashion designer, and writer....		1950s	A meditation master who professes to be an incarnation of God, the Buddha, and the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara Avalokitesvara Avalokitesvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhahood. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism.... . Popularly known as Guan Yin, for whom her meditation method is named.
*Li Hongzhi Li Hongzhi Li Hongzhi is the founder of Falun Gong , a system of "mind-body cultivation" related to the qigong tradition. Li was born in Gongzhuling city, Jilin, China....		1951-	Founder of Falun Gong Falun Gong Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline founded in People's Republic of China by Li Hongzhi in 1992. It has five sets of meditation exercises and teaches the principles truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance , as set out in the main books Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun .... . Said to have proclaimed himself a buddha, though he has denied this. However, many pictures of Li Hongzhi show him wearing a kasaya, or a monk's robe, posing like a Buddha.
*Ram Bahadur Bomjon Ram Bahadur Bomjon Ram Bahadur Bomjon , also known as Palden Dorje , is from Ratanapuri village, Bara district, Nepal and is believed to be the List of Buddha claimants by his supporters....		1989-	An 18-year old Nepalese ascetic whom many have hailed as a new Buddha. According to his brother Gangajit, a "very clear and white" light "different from sunlight" emanated from his head. On November 8 2005 Dorje arose and said to the public, "Tell the people not to call me a Buddha. I don't have the Buddha's energy. I am at the level of rinpoche Rinpoche Rinpoche or Rimpoche is an honorific title used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one". The title is generally reserved for tulkus and those recognized by the proper authorities within a lineage as "choje lamas" .... ." Despite his protestations of not having attained enlightenment, many continue to insist he is a buddha.

See also

• List of bodhisattvas
  List of bodhisattvas
  
  In Buddhist thought, a Bodhisattva is a being who is dedicated to achieving complete Buddhahood. That is their reason for "being" or raison d'?tre....
  
• List of people considered to be deities
• List of people who have claimed to be Jesus
  List of people who have claimed to be Jesus
  
  The list of people who claimed to be Jesus consists of notable people who have made statements claiming to be Jesus....
  
• List of people who have been considered avatars
  List of people who have been considered avatars
  
  This is a list of people, of various faiths, who are considered to be avatars of a deity or higher being by either themselves, their followers, or by others....
  
• List of messiah claimants
  List of messiah claimants
  
  This is a list of people who have been said to be a messiah either by themselves, or by their followers. The list is divided into categories, which are sorted according to date of birth ....
  

Bibliography

• Hogue, John Messiahs: The Visions and Prophecies for the Second Coming (1999) Elements Books ISBN 1-86204-549-6