Amitābha

Amitābha is a celestial buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, especially revered in Pure Land traditions as the source of Sukhāvatī, a western buddha-field.

Pure Land Buddhism: A Mahayana Buddhist tradition centered on buddhas’ pure lands and rebirth in them. Amitābha is the central buddha in the Pure Land traditions of East Asia.
Forty-eight vows: The vows made by the bodhisattva Dharmākara in the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. They describe the conditions Dharmākara vowed to establish as Amitābha.
Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra: A Mahayana scripture recounting Dharmākara’s vows and the formation of Amitābha’s pure land. It gives the fullest account of Amitābha’s origin and vows.
Jōdo Shinshū: A Japanese Pure Land Buddhist school founded by Shinran and centered on reliance on Amitābha’s Primal Vow. It makes trust in Amitābha’s vow, rather than self-powered practice, its central teaching.
Śākyamuni Buddha: The historical Buddha who taught in ancient India and is regarded as the founder of Buddhism. Unlike Śākyamuni, Amitābha presides over a distant pure land and is approached as its saving buddha.
Sukhāvatī: A pure land in Mahayana Buddhism presided over by Amitābha. It is the western paradise associated with Amitābha and his vows.
Primal Vow: The eighteenth vow of Dharmākara, promising birth in his land to beings who entrust themselves to him and aspire for rebirth. It is the vow most central to later Japanese Pure Land interpretations of Amitābha’s saving power.
Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra: A Mahayana scripture describing Sukhāvatī and urging faith in Amitābha. It presents a concise account of the realm associated with Amitābha.
Jōdo-shū: A Japanese Pure Land Buddhist school founded by Hōnen that emphasizes recitation of Amitābha’s name. Hōnen made nembutsu the principal practice for birth in Amitābha’s land.
Vairocana: A cosmic buddha who represents the universal body of buddhahood in several Mahayana traditions. Vairocana’s cosmic scope contrasts with Amitābha’s particular association with Sukhāvatī and rebirth there.

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