Vehicle of Consciousness
In Theravada (“Vehicle” or “Vessel”) doctrine, a person may awaken from the “sleep of ignorance” by directly realizing the true nature of reality; such people are called arahants and occasionally buddhas.
After numerous lifetimes of spiritual striving, they have reached the end of the cycle of rebirth, no longer reincarnating as human, animal, ghost, or other being.
The commentaries to the Pali Canon classify these awakened beings into three types:
Sammasambuddha,
usually just called Buddha, who discovers the truth by himself and teaches the path to awakening to others
Paccekabuddha,
who discovers the truth by himself
but lacks the skill to teach others
Savakabuddha,
who receive the truth directly or indirectly
from a Sammasambuddha
