AMITABHA BUDDHA

AMITABHA BUDDHA Amitabha is synonymous with pure land Buddhism because of his great vow. His pure land, sukhavati is where his followers hope to be reborn after death. His color is red. He is in a meditation posture. Amitabha means �INFNITE LIGHT�. According to Mahayena Buddhist sutras he was a king in the remote period time. Renouncing his kingdom, he became a monk and was named Dharmakara, which means �treasury of dharma�. Inspired by the teaching of Buddha of that time, lokesva raja Buddha, who taught him the way to supreme enlightenment many aeons ago, him made forty eight great vows for the saving of sentient beings. Since, then the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, after five aeons of self cultivation, finally attained the supreme enlightenment and became the Buddha Amitabha. This means that his grand and infinitely compassionate vow is now a reality, the paradise known as pure land or Sukhavati has been established, suffering beings must and will be delivered if only they will have the full faith to call upon his name. Anyone who calls out his name will be reborn into this happy paradise. In modern context, many people think of the pure land as a �MIND STATE�- the peaceful mind of realized being-rather than as a remote place. (MANTRA: �OM NAMO AMITABHAYA BUDDHAYA� is a praise chanting mantra.)