Mantra of Amitabha, its name means infinite radiance and is an extremely important archetypal Buddha in Far Eastern Buddhism. He represents love and compassion, and is described as being the rich and warm color of the sunset.
What does the Amitabha Mantra mean and who makes up the other Buddhas?
The Amitabha Mantra is one of the so - called Dhyani-Buddhas, a set of five non-historical, with symbolic figures that are arranged in a mandala . The other Buddhas in this set are Vairocana (center), Akshobhya (East), Ratnasambhava (South), and Amoghasiddhi (North).
Amitabha is dressed like a monk, with his hands in the mudra (hand gesture) of Dhyana (meditation). Dhyana mudra is how hands are traditionally organized during Buddhist meditation, all those images of yoga practitioners with their hands on their knees are ideal, however the position of the hands should be very balanced and subtle.
Amitabha is of great importance in Eastern Buddhism, where it is known as Amida . It also has a Bodhisattva form called Amitayus, which means infinite life. The Bodhisattva form is, unlike that of the Buddha, a monastic form, dressed like a young prince with long hair and adorned with jewels and fine silks. In some traditions Amitabha and Amitâyus are seen as being essentially the same being, while in other traditions they are different.
Amitabha is the head of the lotus family (padma). This family includes some of the most famous Buddhas and bodhisattvas, including Avalokiteshvara, Padmasambhava, White Tara, and the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni.
He sits on a lotus throne decorated with his sacred animal, the peacock . In Indian folklore it is said that the bright colors of the peacock come from the venom of the snakes they eat. These poisons are transmuted into beauty, and in the same way the practice of Amitabha turns the poison of greed into love.
The connection between greed and love may not be immediately apparent, but you just have to think about the contrast between lust (wishing another person in order to satisfy our appetite) and true love (valuing the originality and potential of the another as a person in their own right) to appreciate the symbolism.
Amitabha was one of the first Buddhas to have her own visualization practice. There are several sutras dedicated to him. The Amitayurdhyana Sutra (the teaching of meditation in Amitabha) explains 16 meditations that visualize the Amitabha Buddha and his Pure Land, Sukavati the kingdom of happiness . This was a teaching given to Queen Vaidehi, who had been imprisoned by her evil son, Ajatasatru.
The Buddha introduces meditation in this way:
Don't you know now that the Amitayus Buddha is not far from here? You must concentrate your thoughts and visualize that Buddha land, which is the result of pure actions. I will now give you detailed instructions so that future generations and for those who wish to practice pure actions can attain birth in the western kingdom of Supreme Happiness.
Other Sutras related to Amitabha and its Pure Land are the Sukavati Vyuha and the smallest Sukavati Vyuha, Vyuha which means a detailed explanation or description .
So you may ask, what is a pure land? A pure earth is what we could consider as a parallel dimension or alternative universe that has been built by the infinite merit of a Buddha in his periods of practice. In a pure land everything is conducive to attain enlightenment.
You do not have to worry about making a living or finding the time to meditate. What is born of full maturity in a lotus and the teaching of Buddha prevails everywhere. A pure land is a kind of heaven in which one can aspire to be reborn. This aspiration is the central theme of what is known as the Pure Land Buddhism.
The Amitabha mantra is a variant of its name. Amideva is only the Tibetan pronunciation of Amitabha (although many believe that deva here means God ).
For those who bear the name of Amaradeva, which means immortal God. Symbolically Amara (without death) means enlightenment and Deva means radiant, and thus the name has been analyzed as one that radiates awakening .
AUTHOR: JoT333, editor of the hermandadblanca.org family
