Amida Buddha
(Skt. Amitabha/Amitayus, Ch. A-mi-t'o Fo, Jp. Amidabutsu)
Amida Buddha is the central Buddha and object of devotion of Pure Land Buddhism. This Buddha, whose name means “infinite Light” and “immeasurable Life” is Thought to pervade the Universe with his presence and Power. Sanskrit sutras contain references to both Amitabha ("infinite Light") and Amitayus ("immeasurable Life"), both referring to the same supernatural being. In the The Sutra of Immeasurable Life (Wu-liang-shou ching), it is said that a long time ago a Bodhisattva named Dharmakara (Ch. Fa-tsang, Jp. Hozo) made forty-eight original vows in order to save all Sentient beings and after eons of energetic practice, fulfilled them and so became Amida Buddha and succeeded in creating his Pure land as a part of his vows. Amida Buddha is believed to still continue his preaching in his Pure land in the West.
