Rebirth mantra of Amitabha Buddha
Amitabha Buddha is a very revered Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, especially among Pure Land Buddhists. His name (immeasurable light – immeasurable life) means “infinite light” or “infinite lifespan”. He represents the boundless compassion of the Buddhas, and is pictured as rich, warm colors when the sun goes down.
In Tibet, where Vajrayana Buddhism (another branch of Mahayana) is practiced, Amitabha is one of the five Buddhas historical, symbolic and reigns in five different directions in the mandala.
Other Buddhas in this series include: Vairocana Tathagata in the central position, Akshobhya Tathagata in the east, Ratnasambhava Tathagata in the south and Amoghasiddhi Tathagata reigns in the North.
Amitabha Buddha is of great importance in Eastern Buddhism, where he is called Amida. He also had a bodhisattva form named Amitayus, which means “limitless life”. In some traditions, Amitabha and Amitayus are described as similar in nature, but in others as distinct.
Amitabha Buddha is often depicted with two assistants: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who appears to his left, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, who appears on his right.
With immeasurable compassion, Amitabha Buddha “created” the Pure Land in the West as a “fulfillment” place for Buddhists to practice after leaving the mundane world.
According to some scriptures of the Pure Land school, the Pure Land is what we can think of a parallel dimension or alternate universe built by the infinite merit of a Buddha in his countless practices.
In the Western realm of bliss, everything helps the practitioner on the path to enlightenment. You don’t have to worry about making money, finding a place or time to meditate. You were born and raised in a lotus, and the teachings of the Buddha prevailed everywhere. From the birds, the flowing water to the leaves on the branches, there are magical teachings.
The Pure Land is a kind of “paradise” to which many Buddhists aspire to be reborn. This aspiration is the central theme of what is known as Pure Land Buddhism. Therefore, many Buddhists who follow this school frequently refer to Amitabha’s title through a practice known as “reciting the Buddha’s name”.
In the Vajrayana school, tantric practitioners recite the mantra of Amitabha Buddha as a method of training the mind so that they can be reborn in the bliss realm during the transition between Life-Death-Rebirth called the Bardo.
Many people believe that Amitabha Buddha can bring them all enlightened qualities, but it is especially important to focus on him at the moment of death. To do this, the meditator must meditate on Amitabha and repeat His mantra.
Like many other tantric mantras, the Amitabha mantra has many variations and often begins with the syllable “Om”. “Om” is said to be the first sound of the universe. This is quite interesting as it seems to be synonymous with the “Um” sound of the Bigbang that created the universe that scientists have assumed.
Amitabha Buddha mantra short version
Om Amitabha Hriḥ
Amitabha Buddha’s mantra is a variation of his title. Amideva is just the Tibetan pronunciation of Amitabha. In addition, some Tibetan Buddhist scholars say that Dewa (Tibetan spelling) stands for Dewachen, the name of Sukhavati (Pure Land) in Tibetan. The Shingon School of Japan uses a different mantra or when they call his name Amida Nyorai. Nyorai in Japanese means Tathagata.
Or recite His name:
Amitabha Buddha mantra long version
NAMO RATNA TRA YAYA / OM NAMO BHAGAVATE APARIMITA AYUR JÑANA / SUPINISH CHITATAYE / JORA JAYA TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA OM PUNYE PUNYE / MAHA PUNYE / APARIMITA PUNYE / AYU PUNYE / MAHA PUNYE / AYUR JÑANA / SARVA RUPA SIDDHI AYUR JÑANA / KE CHE BHRUM / OM BHRUM / AH BHRUM / SVA BHRUM / HA BHRUM / CHE BHRUM / OM SARVA SAMSKARA PARISHUDDHA DHARMATE / GAGANA SAMUDGATE SVABHAVA VISHUDDHE / MAHA NAYA PARIVARA YE SVAHA
This is the mantra often recited in preparation for another, even more powerful Amitabha practice called Phowa (mind transference).
A practice of death where the practitioner directs his mind to the “heart of Amitabha”, experiencing exactly what happens at the moment of death. But the practice of Phowa is strictly forbidden to try alone; it should be practiced under the direct guidance of a qualified Lama.
In the East, reciting the Buddha’s name or reciting the mantra of Amitabha is a popular tradition to assist the dying person in rebirth in the realm of bliss (Pure Land).
