In Jainism, the word “Buddha” can be understood in two ways:

1. General meaning (Jain usage of the word “buddha”)

- In many Jain Prakrit/Sanskrit texts, buddha simply means “enlightened / awakened being” – one who has attained true knowledge (keval‑jnan) and is free from ignorance. - For example, in phrases like “siddhāṇaṃ buddhāṇaṃ”, buddhāṇaṃ refers to enlightened souls, not specifically to Gautam Buddha of Buddhism.

1. Gautam Buddha (founder of Buddhism) – Jain view

- Gautam Buddha was a contemporary of Bhagwan Mahavir, but he is not a Jain Tirthankar or Jain Ganadhar. - Jain tradition sees him as a great spiritual teacher of another path, but not as one of the 24 Jain Tirthankars, and not as a Jain Jina in the strict doctrinal sense.

So, in Jain dharma:

• “buddha” (small ‘b’) = enlightened / awakened soul (in some Jain texts).
• “Buddha” (Gautam Buddha) = respected non-Jain teacher, founder of Buddhism, different from Jain Tirthankars.