Amitābha (Sanskrit:, Amitābha; Chinese: 阿彌陀佛, Āmítuó Fó; Japanese: 阿弥陀如来, Amida Nyorai; Vietnamese: 阿彌陀佛, A Di Ðà Phật; Tibetan: འོད་དཔག་མེད་; 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.
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 Buddhis teachings through the buddha Lokesvararaja, renounced his throne. He 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.
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.
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: tịnhđộ) 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.
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 samjna, 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. In Tibetan Buddhism exist 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.
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.
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.
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