Salutation to the Twenty-Eight Buddhas
The following stanzas are recited in salutation to the 28 Buddhas who have appeared in this world during various periods. The Buddhist scriptures record the names of these Buddhas. Going back into distant past of the universe which has appeared and disintegrated countless times, the Buddha visualized innumerable periods of earlier Buddhas.
The Buddhas in the past are infinite in number. Of the known 28 Buddhas, only four Buddhas belong to this present world cycle, the fourth being Gotama the Buddha whose teachings we now follow. In time to come and during the course of the present universe itself, one more Buddha will appear. He will be the Maitreya Buddha. The present world system would thus have a total of five Buddhas. This clearly shows that Buddhists do not subscribe to the idea that the world will end in the near future.
Buddhists pay their homage in veneration to all these Buddhas. In essence, all these Buddhas are exactly the same as the Buddha of this world cycle. They have all realized the same Universal Truth (Dhamma) that Sakyamuni Buddha had realized and they have all His qualities.
Atthavisati Buddha Vandana | |
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Pali | English Translation |
Vande Tanhamkaram Buddham
Vande Medhamkaram munim Saranamkaram munim vande Dipamkaram jinam name |
I respect Tanhamkaram, the wise.
I respect Medhamkaram, the sage, Saranamkaram the sage, I respect. Dipamkaram the conqueror, I respect. |
Vande Kondanna sattharam | I respect Kondanna, the teacher.
I respect Mangala, the leader. I respect Sumana, the Fully Enlightened. |
Vande Sobhita sambuddham
Anomadassi munim name |
I respect Sobhita, the Fully Enlightened.
Anomadassi the sage, I respect. I respect Paduma, the Fully Enlightened. |
Padumuttaram munim vande | Padumuttaram the sage, I respect.
I respect Sujata, the Fully Enlightened. |
Atthadassi munim vande
Dhammadassi jinam name Vande Siddhattha sattharam |
Atthadassi the sage, I respect.
Dhammadassi the conqueror, I respect. I respect Siddhattha, the teacher. |
Vande Phussa mahaviram | I respect Phussa the great hero.
I respect Vipassi, the leader. |
Kakusandham munim vande
Vande Konagama nayakam Kassapam sugatam vande |
Kakusandha the sage, I respect.
I respect Konagama, the leader. |
Atthavisati me Buddha
Nibbanamata dayaka Namami sirasa Niccam Te mam rakkhantu sabbada |
These twenty eight Buddhas,
The Givers of Deathless Nibbana. Ever I salute with my head. May they ever protect me: |