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Can somebody please explain the meaning of "to-be" here:

Yet we should not be disappointed at the sight of an empty seat, for the power of the sacred place still resonates and can be felt by anyone who stands in the presence of the spot where the Buddha-to-be sat and was sheltered by the sacred tree on the day of his awakening.

As I understand, it's about an event in the future but why then did the author use past simple after that?

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    Siddhartha sat there, in the past, and was not yet the Buddha. He was at that time the Buddha-to-be.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Oct 10, 2021 at 20:58
  • Cab you highlight the version of 'to be' in that passage? I can't figure out which one you're referring to.
    – Mitch
    Commented Oct 12, 2021 at 20:21
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    I doubt the cited text was written by a native Anglophone (certainly not a competent one). You can't stand in the presence of a place (the spot, location where the Buddha-to-be sat).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 13, 2021 at 15:43

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In this paragraph, "to-be" is denoting that the referenced individual was not the Buddha yet. For example, we can apply the same to a pregnant woman:

The young mother-to-be wept with joy as she viewed the ultrasound of her unborn child.

Since a pregnant woman is not yet a mother, the use of "to-be" denotes that she is expecting or is expected to be a mother in the near future.

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