Who is the Buddha?

[There has been misconceptions by certain quarters 

that the Buddha was 
a 'reincarnation of ...' and in others,
that the Buddha was
a 'messenger of ...'.

This error in understanding or ignoring the Dhamma-Vinaya is often the result of 'wanting to rope in' a well respected teacher resulting in 'cherry picking' or ascribing (while ignoring the large body of teachings that provide the complete understanding of the subject) and 'seeing things where there is nothing there'.

The following is the Buddha's response from the Tipitaka and a commentary from a respected member of the Bhikkhu Saṅgha.]

“.. Just as a blue, red, or white lotus flower, though born in the water and grown up in the water, rises above the water and stands unsoiled by the water, even so, though born in the world and grown up in the world, I have overcome the world and dwell unsoiled by the world.
Remember me, brahmin, as 'awakened’.'

Dona Sutta AN 4.3

Read in full here www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.036.than.html

View the video commentary ..

'MN 26: Ariyapariyesana Sutta (The Noble Search) - 
Bhante Gunaratana [Part 1/2] ..here ... https://youtu.be/JwvgrKhpko0

MN 26: Ariyapariyesana Sutta (The Noble Search) - 
Bhante Gunaratana [Part 2/2] ..here ...https://youtu.be/JMd8Gm95Yl4

Read the Ariyapariyesanā Sutta: The Noble Search here ...
www.wisdompubs.org/…/middle-length-discourses-26-ariyapariy…

or here ...www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html