Amitābha
Amitābha, also known as Amituofo in Chinese, Amida Butsu in Japanese, Amita-bul in Korean, A Di Đà Phật in Vietnamese, and Öpakmé in Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhas of Mahayana Buddhism and the most widely venerated Buddhist figure in East Asian Buddhism. Amitābha is also known by the name Amitāyus.
Amitābha is the main figure in two influential Indian Buddhist Mahayana Scriptures: the Sutra of Measureless Life and the Amitābha Sūtra. According to the Sutra of Measureless Life, Amitābha established a pure land of perfect peace and happiness, called Sukhāvatī, where beings who mindfully remember him with faith may be reborn and then quickly attain enlightenment. The pure land is the result of a set of vows Amitābha made long ago. As his name means Limitless Light, Amitābha's light is said to radiate throughout the cosmos and shine on all beings. Because of this, Amitābha is often depicted radiating light, a symbol for his wisdom. As per the name Amitāyus, this Buddha is also associated with infinite life, since his lifespan is said to be immeasurable. Amitābha's measureless life is seen as being related to his infinite compassion.
Amitābha devotion is particularly prominent in East Asian Buddhism, where the practice of mindfulness of Amitābha Buddha is seen as a path to liberation open to everyone. Amitābha is also the principal Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism, which is a tradition focused on attaining birth in the pure land by relying on the power of Amitābha and faithfully reciting Amitabha's name. Amitābha is also a major deity in Tibetan Buddhism, where he is associated with pure land practices, as well as phowa.
The names Amitāyus and Amitābha are used interchangeably in East Asian Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism however, Amitāyus is distinguished from Amitābha, and they are depicted differently in Himalayan art. Amitāyus is also known as a Buddha of long life in Tibetan Buddhism. In East Asian Buddhism, Amitābha is most often depicted as part of a triad with the two bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. In Tibetan Buddhism, the triad includes Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapani instead.
Indian Mahayana sources
In the ''Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtras''
The most influential Amitābha focused Mahayana sutras are two sutras known by the Sanskrit title Sukhāvatī-vyūha ''. These two are the Short Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. These sutras are the main Indian Mahayana sources for the teachings on Amitābha and his pure land. In these sutras, Amitābha is a transcendent and immortal Buddha who resides in a pure buddhafield that he created. This pure land is located billions of worlds away in the western direction and all beings can attain rebirth there, where they can swiftly become Buddhas themselves.According to the Sūtra of Limitless Life, eons ago, Amitābha was a bodhisattva monk named Dharmākara. In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmākara is described as a former king who, having come into contact with Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokeśvararāja, renounced his throne and became a monk. For five eons, Dharmākara contemplated all the qualities of all the pure buddhafields throughout the cosmos. He then resolved to become a Buddha and to create the best of all pure buddha-fields possessed of many supreme qualities.
The sutra then recounts how Dharmākara made a series of bodhisattva vows, pledging that unless these vows were fulfilled, he would not attain Buddhahood. Different versions of the text list varying numbers of these vows, which serves as the foundation for Pure Land doctrine. These solemn resolutions set out the type of pure land Dharmākara aspired to create, the conditions under which beings might be born into that world, and what kind of beings they would be. After many eons of bodhisattva practice, Dharmākara became Amitābha Buddha. Since he now presides over the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī in the western direction, it is understood that his vows were indeed fulfilled.
Among these "past vows", Dharmākara promised that all beings born in his land would never fall into lower realms, and would possess golden divine bodies with many superpowers. He also vowed that they would be firmly established on the path to Buddhahood and could enjoy profound peace, happiness and an unlimited lifespan there.
The central aspect of these vows is the ones which discuss how to attain birth in the pure land. In Pure Land Buddhism, one of the most influential passages has been the eighteenth vow, which states:
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and think of me even ten times should not be born there, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. Excluded however, are those who commit the five grave offenses and abuse the Right Dharma.This vow is also called the "original" or "fundamental" vow in East Asian Pure Land Buddhism, indicating its special status in this tradition. This vow, along with some other passages, made it possible to argue that all kinds of people would attain birth in the pure land, even very wicked, deluded and defiled persons. Barring that one did not commit the five grave acts, this scripture seems to open up the possibility of birth in the pure land to everyone who faithfully thinks of the Amitābha even just ten times. A modified version of this universalist teaching would become a central doctrine of Pure Land Buddhism and remains part of its lasting appeal.
The sutra also explains how, at the moment of death, Amitābha, will appear to those who have aspired to be born in Sukhāvatī. Bodhisattvas who arrive in Sukhāvatī enter the state of non-retrogression, and the state of "one more birth," meaning they require only one additional lifetime before attaining Buddhahood. Once in Sukhāvatī, all beings can also easily visit other pure lands to make offerings to innumerable Buddhas. In Sukhāvatī, beings are born asexually, appearing fully formed upon lotus flowers in Amitābha's presence. Some lotuses remain closed, signifying individuals who still harbor doubts about Amitābha. Such beings remain enclosed for 500 years, experiencing their lotus as a palace, yet deprived of the Buddha's presence. Eventually, as they dispel their doubts, they emerge from this period of purification and witness the splendor of Amitābha.File:Chion-in - various - 20150621 - 05.jpg|thumb|The main Amitabha image at Chion-in temple, Kyoto, Japan
Both versions of the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra provide various descriptions which may have served as a guide for meditating on Amitābha within his Pure Land. According to the sutras, those aspiring to be reborn there should cultivate bodhicitta, listen to Amitābha's name, contemplate him, pray for rebirth in his land, and accumulate merit as a basis for their future birth. Given these conditions, rebirth in Sukhāvatī and eventual enlightenment are significantly more accessible than striving for Buddhahood under the harsh conditions of this world, which is Amitābha Buddha's ultimate intent for creating the pure land. This teaching about an easily accessible afterlife made Amitābha a popular Buddha in Gandhara, from where it spread Central Asia and East Asia.
Regarding the Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, this text primarily describes the various features of Sukhāvatī and further clarifies the methods of attaining rebirth there. It describes, for example, how the birds and trees of Sukhāvatī, themselves manifestations of Amitābha, continuously sing song of the Dharma. According to this sūtra, rebirth in Sukhāvatī is achieved by sincerely holding Amitābha's name in mind with undistracted focus for one to seven days—an application of the ancient meditation known as buddhānusmṛti''.
The nature of Amitābha
The Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra describes the Buddha Amitābha as having a body that radiates limitless light throughout the ten directions. The sutra states:The majestic radiance of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is exalted and supreme; the radiance of other Buddhas cannot compare with it. Some Buddhas’ light shines upon a hundred Buddha-lands, and other Buddhas’ light shines upon a thousand Buddha-lands. Briefly stated, the light of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life illuminates all the Buddha-lands.....Sentient beings who encounter this light have the three defilements swept away, and they become soft and gentle in body and mind. They leap and dance with joy, and the good mind arises in them. When those suffering pain and travail in the three evil realms see this light, they all find respite and become free of afflictions. After their lives have ended, they will all gain emancipation. The light of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is resplendent and brilliantly illuminates the lands of the Buddhas throughout the ten quarters; there is no place where it is not heard. It is not I alone who praise this light now; all Buddhas, sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas together praise it just as I do.In the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha, Shakyamuni also describes the Buddha Amitābha's light as inconceivable and ultimate indescribable, saying that he "could never describe it completely", even if he spent eons trying.
Regarding the lifespan of Amitābha, the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra states that it is "everlasting and beyond reckoning", totally beyond any calculation or thought.
Both Sukhāvatīvyūha sūtras also proclaim Buddha Amitābha's special status, by stating that he is praised and revered by all the Buddhas of the ten quarters and that all Buddhas teach their retinues about birth in Amitābha's Pure Land.
In Mahayana treatises
Some Mahāyāna treatises mention Amitābha. The Dasabhumikavibhāsā, which is traditionally ascribed to Nāgārjuna and survives only in a Chinese translation by Kumārajīva , teaches the "easy" practice of maintaining constant mindfulness of Amitābha Buddha as a way to attain birth in the pure land. The authorship of this text has been disputed by some scholars, including Akira Hirakawa.Vasubandhu is traditionally credited with composing the Discourse on the Pure Land, a commentary on the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, which only survives in Chinese translation by the Indian translator Bodhiruci. This work outlines a five-part practice that may have functioned as a visualization meditation. Amitābha and his pure are also briefly discussed by Vasubandhu's brother Asanga in his Mahāyānasaṃgraha.
The author of the Ratnagotravibhāga concludes the text with the following dedication to Amitāyus: "By the merit I have acquired through this , may all living beings come to perceive the Lord Amitāyus* endowed with infinite light."