Amitabha Buddha
Amitabha Buddha is the Teacher who guides sentient beings in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Sanskrit name Amitabha is translated into Chinese as “Infinite.” Because Amitabha Buddha possesses infinite light and infinite life, He is therefore called Amitabha.
According to the Infinite Life Sutra, in the inconceivably distant past, during the time of Lokesvararaja Buddha, there was a king who, after hearing the Buddha expound the Dharma, was filled with joy and delight. He aroused the genuine aspiration for unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. Renouncing his kingdom and relinquishing his royal throne, he left the household life to become a monk, receiving the name Dharmakara.
He respectfully approached Lokesvararaja Buddha and requested instruction in the Dharma. At that time, Lokesvararaja Buddha extensively described to Bhikkhu Dharmakara the two hundred and ten billion Buddha lands, together with the wholesome and unwholesome conduct of the heavenly and human beings within them, and the coarse, defiled or pure, magnificent qualities of those lands. In accordance with Dharmakara’s wish, the Buddha also manifested all those Buddha lands before him.
After Bhikkhu Dharmakara heard the Buddha’s teaching concerning these pure and magnificent lands, and by the Buddha’s great spiritual power personally beheld them all, he gave rise to unsurpassed and extraordinary vows. His mind became pure, tranquil, and firmly settled, free from all attachment.
(Note: One kalpa refers to one complete cycle in which the world begins and ends. Five kalpas refer to five cycles in which the world has begun and ended.)
For a period of five kalpas, he contemplated, cultivated, selected, and embraced the pure vows and practices that would adorn a Buddha land and bring benefit to all sentient beings. After completing this contemplation and cultivation, he again approached Lokesvararaja Buddha and addressed Him, saying:
“World-Honored One, I humbly pray that You will not withhold Your compassion, but listen attentively and examine my aspiration. I now wish to declare fully and openly the vows that I have made.”
𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, there are hells, hungry ghosts, or animals in my land, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land, after their lifespan ends, are reborn in the three evil realms, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, not all the heavenly beings and humans in my land possess true gold, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land are of different appearances, some beautiful and some ugly, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, there are no heavenly beings and humans in my land who do not know their past lives, or even those who know the events of hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not possess the divine eye, and even if they see hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddha-lands, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not possess heavenly hearing, and even if they hear the teachings of hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not possess the ability to know the thoughts of others, or even the thoughts of beings in hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddha-lands, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not possess supernatural powers, and cannot, in a single thought, travel beyond a hundred thousand billion nayutas of Buddha-lands, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land harbor thoughts of greed or attachment to their bodies, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not abide in the state of fixed concentration and are destined for extinction (Nirvana), then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, and my light is limited, to the point that it will not even illuminate hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddha-lands, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, but my lifespan is limited, lasting for hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, there are any Hearer disciples in my land who can calculate or even know their number, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the lifespan of the heavenly beings and humans in my land will be limited, except for those who, according to their original vows, have the freedom to shorten or lengthen their lives; if this is not the case, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land would even hear the name of any unwholesomeness, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, and all the countless Buddhas of the ten directions do not praise and extol my name, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟏𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions, with sincere faith and joy, desire to be reborn in my land, even with just ten recitations of my name, and if they are not reborn there, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment. Except for those who commit the five heinous crimes and slander the Dharma.
𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions generate the Bodhicitta (aspiration to become enlightened to benefit others), cultivate all virtues, and sincerely make vows to be reborn in my land, and at the end of their lives, I do not appear before them surrounded by a large assembly, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, and sentient beings in the ten directions hear my name, keep my land in mind, plant the roots of virtue, and sincerely dedicate their merits to being reborn in my land, and if they do not achieve this, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, not all the heavenly beings and humans in my land have fully attained the thirty-two major marks of a great man, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, all the Bodhisattvas from other Buddha-lands who are reborn in my land will ultimately reach the stage of becoming a Buddha in their next life. Except for those who, through their original vows and free transformation, for the sake of sentient beings, are adorned with the armor of great vows, accumulate virtuous roots, liberate all beings, travel to all Buddha-lands, cultivate the bodhisattva path, make offerings to all Buddhas and Tathagatas of the ten directions, enlighten countless sentient beings like the sands of the Ganges, enable them to establish the unsurpassed, true, and correct path, transcend ordinary norms, and practice the conduct of all stages, embodying the virtues of Puxian Bodhisattva; if this is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land, relying on the Buddha’s divine power, cannot reach and make offerings to all the countless, innumerable, billions of Buddha-lands within the time it takes to eat a meal, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land, before all Buddhas, reveal their virtuous deeds, and if their desired offerings are not fulfilled, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land are unable to expound the teachings of Omniscience, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattva in my land does not attain the Vajra Narayana body, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land are not provided with all the necessary and pure necessities, and lack nothing, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land are not able to see the Bodhi tree, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattva in my land who receives, reads, recites, and expounds the scriptures, yet does not attain eloquence and wisdom, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the wisdom and eloquence of the Bodhisattvas in my land are limited, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, my land is pure and clearly reflects all the immeasurable, countless, and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten directions—just as a bright mirror reveals one’s own face and image. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, all things in the land—from the ground up to the open sky, including palaces, towers, ponds, streams, flowering trees, and every other object—are not composed of countless varieties of precious gems and hundreds of thousands of kinds of fragrant substances; and if the fragrance does not pervade the worlds of the ten directions, inspiring all sentient beings who smell it to cultivate the practices of a Buddha, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the immeasurable, inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten directions—upon being touched by my light—do not experience a state of physical and mental gentleness and suppleness surpassing that of heavenly beings and humans, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten directions—upon hearing my name—do not attain the Bodhisattva’s realization of the non-arising of phenomena and profound states of perfect retention, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, any woman in the immeasurable, inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten directions—upon hearing my name, rejoicing with faith, and resolving to attain enlightenment—should loathe her female form and, after the end of her life, be reborn as a woman again, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in the immeasurable, inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten directions—upon hearing my name—do not consistently practice the holy life after the end of their lives until they attain the Way of Buddhahood, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha‑lands of the ten directions—upon hearing my name—prostrate themselves on the ground to revere and worship me, rejoice in faith, and perform the bodhisattva practices, should not be respected by all heavenly beings and people of the world, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land desire clothing, and—in accordance with the Buddha’s praise of wondrous, Dharma-appropriate attire—such clothing does not appear upon their bodies the instant they wish for it; or if there is any need for cutting, sewing, dyeing, or washing, then may I not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟑𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings and humans in my land do not experience happiness equal to that of a monk who has eradicated all defilements, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land wish to see the immeasurable, magnificent, and pure Buddha-lands of the ten directions, may their wishes be instantly fulfilled, enabling them to behold all these lands clearly within the jeweled trees—just as one sees one’s own reflection in a bright mirror. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in the lands of other quarters who hear my name should—up until the time they attain Buddhahood—possess imperfect or deformed sense faculties, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas from other lands who hear my name do not all attain the Samadhi of Pure Liberation—and, while abiding in this Samadhi, offer homage to immeasurable and inconceivable Buddhas and World-Honored Ones within a single moment of thought without ever losing their meditative concentration. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in other Buddha-lands who hear my name are not reborn into noble and honored families after the end of their lives, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in the lands of other quarters, upon hearing my name, rejoice and leap for joy, practice the Bodhisattva path, and perfect the roots of virtue. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in the lands of other quarters, upon hearing my name, do not all attain the Samadhi of Universal Equality—and, abiding in this Samadhi until they achieve Buddhahood, do not constantly behold all the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddhas. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in my land can naturally hear whatever Dharma they wish to hear, in accordance with their own aspirations. If it is not so, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in the lands of other quarters, upon hearing my name, do not immediately attain the state of non-retrogression, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
𝟒𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐰
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas from other lands who hear my name do not immediately attain the first, second, and third stages of acceptance of the Dharma, and do not immediately attain the state of non-retrogression regarding the Buddhadharma, then I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
After Bhikkhu Dharmakara had proclaimed these Forty-Eight Great Vows, the earth shook in six ways, wonderful heavenly flowers rained down from the sky, and a voice resounded through space, proclaiming:
“You will certainly attain Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment.”
After establishing these Forty-Eight Great Vows, Bhikkhu Dharmakara devoted Himself wholeheartedly to adorning the supreme and magnificent Buddha Land. The Buddha realm brought forth through His diligent cultivation was vast and boundless, free from all obstruction, uniquely excellent, and incomparably sublime. The land He established would endure throughout immeasurable ages, never declining or undergoing change.
For inconceivable hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of kalpas, He diligently cultivated the immeasurable meritorious practices of a Bodhisattva. He never gave rise to thoughts of greed, anger, or harming sentient beings. He entertained no thoughts of craving, resentment, or malice, nor did He become attached to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, or mental objects.
His strength in patience and forbearance was perfectly accomplished, and He never complained about any hardship. Content with few desires, He was entirely free from greed, hatred, and delusion. His mind constantly abided in samadhi and remained ever peaceful in the unconditioned state, while His wisdom penetrated all dharmas without obstruction.
He was utterly free from deceit, flattery, and crookedness. His countenance was always gentle and cheerful, His speech soft and loving, and He constantly expressed kindness through thoughtful concern for others. Courageously and diligently fulfilling His vows, He never became lax or weary. He single-mindedly pursued pure and spotless wholesome dharmas, bestowing benefits upon all sentient beings.
He reverently honored the Three Jewels and faithfully served His teachers and elders. He adorned His body and mind with unsurpassed virtues and perfected every kind of wholesome merit, enabling all sentient beings likewise to accomplish merit and receive benefit.
He abided in the Three Gates of Liberation: emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. Free from contrived effort and false thoughts, He contemplated all worldly dharmas as being like illusions and magical transformations. He completely abandoned all coarse and degrading conduct that harms oneself, harms others, or causes mutual injury. Instead, He cultivated gentle and loving speech and every wholesome practice that benefits both oneself and others alike.
Having renounced His kingdom and abandoned His royal throne, He cast aside attachment to wealth and sensual pleasures. He personally practiced the Six Paramitas and also taught others to cultivate the Six Paramitas and the myriad Bodhisattva practices.
Throughout immeasurable kalpas, He continually accumulated merit and virtue. Wherever He was reborn, according to His wishes and aspirations, immeasurable treasuries of precious jewels naturally appeared. He taught and established countless sentient beings in the true path leading to unsurpassed enlightenment and liberation.
At times He manifested as an elder, a lay practitioner, a member of a wealthy family, or one born into a noble lineage. At other times He appeared as a ksatriya king, a Wheel-Turning Sage King, a ruler of the heavens of the Desire Realm, or even as a Great Brahma King.
He constantly made offerings to all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, with the four requisites of food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine. The merit He thereby accumulated was beyond all praise or calculation.
The fragrance of His breath was pure like the scent of blue lotus flowers. From every pore of His body emanated the fragrance of sandalwood, perfuming immeasurable worlds. His appearance was perfectly dignified and flawless, and His physical marks were supremely magnificent.
From His hands there naturally and ceaselessly appeared inexhaustible treasures, clothing, food and drink, exquisite flowers, fragrant incense, jeweled canopies, banners, standards, and every kind of magnificent adornment. In all such virtues and blessings, He surpassed every heavenly being and human in the world, and He attained complete freedom and mastery over all dharmas.
Bhikkhu Dharmakara has now attained Buddhahood. He now dwells in the West, beyond one hundred thousand million Buddha lands from this Saha World. That Buddha land is called the Land of Peace and Bliss (Anle), and since Bhikkhu Dharmakara attained Buddhahood, ten kalpas have already passed.
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