Amitabha Buddha pictured in the Ushiku Daibutsu in Japan

Amitābha (Sanskrit: अमिताभः, Amitābhaḥ; Chinese: 阿彌陀佛, Ēmítuó Fó; Japanese: 阿弥陀如来, Amida Nyorai; Vietnamese: 阿彌陀佛, A Di Ðà Phật; Tibetan: འོད་དཔག་མེད་; Lhasa dialect IPA: [̀øpakmeʔ]; Mongolian: Caɣlasi ügei gerel-tü) is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 347 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 1383 pixel, file size: 341 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 347 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 1383 pixel, file size: 341 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Ushiku Daibutsu ), located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, is the worlds tallest Buddha statue. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Media:Example. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... An image of Gautama Buddha with a Manji, traditionally a Buddhist symbol of infinity, on his chest. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Doctrine

According to the Larger Sūtra of Immeasurable Life Amitābha was, in very ancient times and possibly in another realm, a monk named Dharmakāra. In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmakāra is described as a former king who, having come into contact with the Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokesvararaja, renounced his throne. He then resolved to become a buddha and so to come into possession of a buddhakṣetra ("buddha-field", a world produced by a buddha's merit) possessed of many perfections. These resolutions were expressed in his forty-eight vows 四十八願, which set out the type of buddha-field Dharmakāra aspired to create, the conditions under which beings might be born into that world, and what kind of beings they would be when reborn there. The Infinite Life Sutra, or Larger Pure Land Sutra, is a Mahayana Buddhist text associated with Pure Land Buddhism. ... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Lokeá¹£vararāja (Japanese: Seijizaio Nyorai), is the 53rd Buddha to have existed in the history of existence, as according to the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, long before Shakyamuni Buddha came and established Buddhism. ... Media:Example. ... Vows found by T.P. == Vow 1 : Provided I become a Buddha, if in that Buddha-country of mine there should be either hell, or the animal state of existence, or the realm of hungry ghost, then may I not attain the enlightenment. ...

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Amitabha's forty-eight vows

In the versions of the sutra widely known in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, Dharmakāra's eighteenth vow was that any being in any universe desiring to be born into Amitābha's Pure Land and calling upon his name even as few as ten times will be guaranteed rebirth there. His nineteenth vow promises that he, together with his bodhisattvas and other blessed Buddhists, will appear before those who call upon him at the moment of death. This openness and acceptance of all kinds of people has made the Pure Land belief one of the major influences in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Pure Land Buddhism seems to have first become popular in northwest India/Pakistan and Afghanistan, from where it spread to Central Asia and China, and from China to Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... The Buddha Amitabha, 13th century, Kamakura, Japan. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 in South Korea or ì¡°ì„  in North Korea, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...

The sutra goes on to explain that Amitābha, after accumulating great merit over countless lives, finally achieved buddhahood and is still alive in his land of Sukhāvatī, whose many virtues and joys are described.

The basic doctrines concerning Amitābha and his vows are found in three canonical Mahāyāna texts:

• The Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra
• The Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra
• The Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra (Sutra on the Meditation on Amitāyus).

Through his efforts, Amitabha created the "Pure Land" (净土, Chinese: jìngtŭ; Japanese: jōdo; Vietnamese: tịnh độ) called Sukhāvatī (Sanskrit: "possessing happiness") . Sukhāvatī is situated in the uttermost west, beyond the bounds of our own world. By the power of his vows, Amitābha has made it possible for all who call upon him to be reborn into this land, there to undergo instruction by him in the dharma and ultimately become bodhisattvas and buddhas in their turn (the ultimate goal of Mahāyāna Buddhism). From there, these same bodhisattvas and buddhas return to our world to help yet more people. The Infinite Life Sutra, or Larger Pure Land Sutra, is a Mahayana Buddhist text associated with Pure Land Buddhism. ... The Amitabha Sutra, or Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra, is a Mahayana Buddhist text associated with Pure Land Buddhism. ... The Contemplation Sutra is one of the three major Buddhist sutras found within the Pure Land branch of Buddhism. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded), upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates (skandhas) which make up that person, becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new group of skandhas which may again be conventionally considered...   (Sanskrit) (Devnagari: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pali) is the underlying order in nature and human life and behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ...

Amitabha in Vajrayana Buddhism

Buddha Amithaba in Tibetan Buddhism, traditionally Thanka painting.

Amitābha is also known in Tibet, Mongolia, and other regions where Tibetan Buddhism is practised. In the Highest Yoga Tantra class of the Tibetan Vajrayana Amitabha is considered one of the Five Dhyāni Buddhas (together with Akṣobhya, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasambhava, and Vairocana), who is associated with the western direction and the skandha of saṃjñā, the aggregate of distinguishing (recognition) and the deep awareness of individualities. His realm is called either Sukhāvatī (sanskrit) or Dewachen (tibetan). As his two main disciples, similar as the Buddha Shakyamuni had two, are seen the Bodhisattvas Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara, the former to his left and the latter to his right. In Tibetan Buddhism, there exists a number of famous prayers for taking rebirth in Sukhavati (Dewachen). One of these was written by Je Tsongkhapa on the request of Manjushri, who appeared to him in different visions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 465 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (504 × 650 pixel, file size: 116 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) from http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 465 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (504 × 650 pixel, file size: 116 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) from http://www. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 西藏, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zàng; also referred to as 藏区 (Simplified Chinese), 藏區 (Traditional Chinese), ZàngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas (Dhyani Skt. ... An ancient painting of Akshobhya In Vajrayana Buddhism, Akshobhya (Sanskrit: Immovable One) (Japanese: 阿閃如来 Ashuku nyorai; Chinese: A Jiu Rulai) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. ... Amoghasiddhi (Sanskrit, unfailing power), is the fifth dhyanibuddha (representations of the five qualities of the Buddha). ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas (Dhyani Skt. ... This article is about the primordial Buddha Vairocana. ... The skandhas (Sanskrit: Pāli: Khandha; literally: heap or bundle) are the five constituents or aggregates through which the functioning and experience of an individual is created according to Buddhist phenomenology. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mahachakra Vajrapani . Vajrapāṇi (from Sanskrit vajra, thunderbolt or diamond and pāṇi, lit. ... In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara or Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... The Gelug School Je Tsongkhapa, whose name means The Man from Onion Valley, also known as Je Rinpoche and by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa, is recorded as the founder of the Gelugpa school in Tibetan Buddhism. ... Statue of Manjusri (Monju) at Senkoji in Onomichi, Japan Mañjuśrī (文殊 Ch. ...

He is frequently invoked in Tibet either as Buddha Amithaba - especially in the Powa practices or as Amitāyus - especially in practices relating to longevity and preventing an untimely death. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

In Japanese Vajrayana, or Shingon Buddhism, Amitabha is seen as one of the thirteen Buddhist deities practitioners pay homage to. The nembutsu used in Pure Land Buddhist schools is incorporated into Shingon, but Shingon also uses special devotional mantras for Amitabha as well. Amitabha is also one of the Buddhas featured in the Womb Realm Mandala used in Shingon practices. Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... Nianfo (念佛. Chinese pinyin nian fo; Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul), literally mindfulness of the Buddha. ... The Buddha Amitabha, 13th century, Kamakura, Japan. ... Center of a Garbhadhatu mandala, representing Vairocana Buddha surrounded by eight Buddhas and bodhisattvas (clockwise from top: Ratnaketu, Samantabhadra, Samkusumitaraja, Manjusri, Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, Dundubhinirghosa, Maitreya) In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Womb Realm (Skt. ...

Mantras

Amitabha is the center of a number of mantras in Buddhist Vajrayana practices. The Indic form of the mantra of Amitābha is oṃ amitābha hrīḥ, which is pronounced in its Tibetan version as Om ami dhewa hri. The Japanese Shingon Buddhist mantra is On amirita teizei kara un which represents the underlying Indic form oṃ amṛta-teje hara hūṃ. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ...

In addition to using the mantras listed above, many Buddhist schools invoke Amitabha's name in a practice known as 'nianfo' in Chinese and 'nembutsu' in Japanese. Nianfo (念佛. Chinese pinyin nian fo; Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul), literally mindfulness of the Buddha. ... Nianfo (念佛. Chinese pinyin nian fo; Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul), literally mindfulness of the Buddha. ...

Names in various languages

The proper (nominative) form of Amitābha's name in Sanskrit is Amitābhaḥ. This is a compound of the Sanskrit words amita ("without bound, infinite") and ābhā ("light, splendor"). Consequently, the name is to be interpreted as "he who possesses light without bound, he whose splendor is infinite". The nominative case is a grammatical case for a noun. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

The name Amitāyus (nominative form Amitāyuḥ) is also used. This is a compound of amita ("infinite") and āyus ("life"), and so means "he whose life is boundless".

In Chinese, his name is given as 阿彌陀佛 (Ēmítuó Fó), where Ēmítuó is the Chinese representation of the first three syllables of either Amitābha or Amitāyus, and Fó is Chinese for Buddha (a very early borrowing of the first syllable of the Sanskrit word). Media:Example. ...

The name Amitābha is given in Chinese as 無量光 Wúliàngguāng ("Infinite Light "), while the name Amitāyus is given as 無量壽 Wúliàngshòu ("Infinite Life"). These names are not, however, very commonly used.

In Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese, the same Chinese characters 阿彌陀佛 are used to represent his name, though they are pronounced slightly differently:

• Vietnamese: A-di-đà Phật
• Korean: Amit'a Bul
• Japanese: Amida Butsu.

In Japanese, he is also called 阿弥陀如来 Amida Nyorai, meaning "Amitābha the Tathāgata". Tathāgata (Sanskrit; Pali The one thus-come or The one thus-gone; Chinese: 如來; Pinyin: Rú lái; Japanese: nyorai) This is traditionally interpreted as one who comes and goes in the same way (as the previous Buddhas). Tathāgata is the name which the historical Buddha Sakyamuni (Siddhattha Gotama...

In Tibetan, Amitābha is called 'od.dpag.med and, as Amitāyus, tshe.dpag.med. The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ...

Iconography

This altar display at a temple in Taiwan shows Amitābha in the center, flanked by Mahāsthāmaprāpta on the viewer's right and Guānyīn on the right.

It can be difficult to distinguish Amitābha from Śākyamuni, as both are portrayed as possessing all the attributes of a buddha but no distinguishing marks. Amitabha can, however, often be distinguished by his mudrā: Amitābha is often depicted, when shown seated, displaying the meditation mudrā (thumbs touching and fingers together (as in the Kamakura statue of Amitābha)) or the exposition mudrā, while the earth-touching mudrā (right hand pointed downward over the right leg, palm inward) is reserved for a seated Śākyamuni alone. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (846x1404, 263 KB) Summary Buddha Amitabha and two bodhisattvas (Avalokiteshvara on his right, Mahasthamaprapta on his left)in a temple near Meinong, Kaohsiung county, Taiwan. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (846x1404, 263 KB) Summary Buddha Amitabha and two bodhisattvas (Avalokiteshvara on his right, Mahasthamaprapta on his left)in a temple near Meinong, Kaohsiung county, Taiwan. ... This altar display at a temple in Taiwan shows Amitabha in the center, flanked by Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the viewers right and Avalokitesvara on the right. ... Kuan Yin (觀音; Pinyin: Guān YÄ«n) is the bodhisattva of compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... A mudrā (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, literally seal) is a symbolic gesture usually made with the hand or fingers. ... Amida Buddha, Kotokuin Kōtoku-in (高徳院) is a Buddhist temple of the Pure Land sect in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. ...

When standing, Amitābha is often shown with his left arm bare and extended downward with thumb and forefinger touching, with his right hand facing outward also with thumb and forefinger touching. The meaning of this mudra is that wisdom (symbolized by the raised hand) is accessible to even the lowest beings, while the outstretched hand shows that Amitabha's compassion is directed at the lowest beings, who cannot save themselves. A mudrā (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, literally seal) is a symbolic gesture usually made with the hand or fingers. ...

When not depicted alone, Amitābha is often portrayed with two assistants: Avalokiteśvara (Guānyīn) who appears on his right and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Dà Shì Zhì) who appears on his left. AvalokiteÅ›vara or Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit, lit. ... Kuan Yin (觀音; Pinyin: Guān YÄ«n) is the bodhisattva of compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. ... This altar display at a temple in Taiwan shows Amitabha in the center, flanked by Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the viewers right and Avalokitesvara on the right. ...

In Tibetan Buddhism, Amitābha is red in color (red being the color of love, compassion, and emotional energy). His direction is west and so he is envisioned as the (red) setting sun. He is seen as the supreme power and energy of nature, cast on an earthly plain, accessible to all sentient beings. For this reason he is considered one of the most popular of all Dhyāni Buddhas. The Sun (Latin: Sol) is the star at the center of the Solar System. ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas (Dhyani Skt. ...

His unique emblem is the lotus. He is thus associated with the attributes of the lotus: gentleness, openness, and purity. Binomial name Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. ...

Archeological origins

Táng Dynasty Amitābha sculpture — Hidden Stream Temple Cave, Longmen Grottoes, China

The first known epigraphic evidence for Amitābha is the bottom part of a statue found in Govindnagar, Pakistan and now located at the Mathura Museum. The statue is dated to "the 28th year of the reign of Huviṣka" (i.e., sometime in the latter half of the second century CE, during the period of the Kuṣāṇa Empire), and was apparently dedicated to "Amitābha Buddha" by a family of merchants. Download high resolution version (570x746, 93 KB)Hidden Stream Temple Cave Amitabha figure, Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China. ... Download high resolution version (570x746, 93 KB)Hidden Stream Temple Cave Amitabha figure, Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China. ... Epigraphy (Greek, επιγραφή - written upon) is the study of inscriptions engraved into stone or other permanent materials, or cast in metal, the science of classifying them as to cultural context and date, elucidating them and assessing what conclusions can be deduced from them. ... , Mathura   (Hindi: मथुरा, Urdu: متھرا) is a holy city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Gold coin of the Kushan emperor Huvishka (126-164). ... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ...

The first known sutra mentioning Amitābha is the translation into Chinese of the Pratyutpanna Sūtra by the Kuṣāṇa monk Lokakṣema around 180 CE. This work is said to be at the origin of Pure Land practice in China. The Pratyutpanna Sutra (also Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra, lit. ... Lokaksema (Ch: 支谶, Zhi Chan). ... For other uses, see number 180. ...

The appearance of such literature and sculptural remains at the end of the 2nd century suggests that the doctrine of Amitābha probably developed during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. “Era Vulgaris” redirects here. ...

See also

• Buddhism in China
• Chán
• Jodo Shinshu
• Longmen Grottoes
• Mahayana
• Neo-Confucianism
• Shaolin Temple

Shakyamuni Buddha teaching. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Jōdo ShinshÅ« (浄土真宗 True Pure Land School), also known as Shin Buddhism, was founded by the once Tendai Japanese monk Shinran Shonin. ... The Longmen Grottoes (ch. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... Neo-Confucianism (Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty. ... The Shaolin temples (少林寺; pinyin: Shàolín Sì, Wade-Giles: Shao-lin Ssŭ) are a group of Chinese Buddhist monasteries famed for their long association with Chán (Japanese Zen) Buddhism and martial arts. ...

External links

• Pure Land Buddhism WWW Virtual Library
• Amitabha Buddha Of Boundless Light and Life.
• The Five Meditating Buddhas
• Amida - The Buddha of the Land of Bliss (Pure Land)
• The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra (Pure Land)
• The Berzin Archives - Buddha-Family Traits (Buddha-Families) and Aspects of Experience

Meeting The Buddhas by Vessantara, published by Windhorse Publications 2003

• Yogi C.M.Chen Pureland Buddhism