Page 47 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

monk and was named Dharmakara, which means ‘Treasury of

Dharma’. Inspired by the teaching of the then Buddha of that

time, Lokesvaraja Buddha, who taught him the way to supreme

enlightenment many aeons ago, he made forty eight great vows

for the saving of the sentient beings. e Eighteenth Vow, which

is the basis of the Pure Land, ran like this: ‘If upon the attain-

ment of Buddhahood all sentient beings in the ten quarters who

aspire in sincerity and faith to be reborn in my land, recite my

name up to ten times and fail to be born there, then may I not

attain the Perfect Enlightenment…’.

Since then, the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, after five aeons of

self-cultivation, finally attained the Supreme Enlightenment

and became the Buddha Amitabha. is means that his grand

and infinitely compassionate vow is now a reality, the paradise

known as Pure Land or Sukhavati has been established, suffer-

ing beings must and will be delivered if only they will have the

full faith to call upon his name.

Calling the Buddha’s name with full faith is known to the

Chinese as ‘N-F’ meaning ‘Prayer-recitation’. e Japan-

ese term for this practice is known as ‘Nembutsu’. In this practice

three important qualities must be present in the mind: Sincerity,

Faith and Aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land. e simple

prayer or formula that one needs to repeat is:

“N O-M-T F”

One may repeat it in Sanskrit ‘Namo Amitabha Buddha’ which

literally means ‘Homage to the Amitabha Buddha’ or ‘I seek ref-

uge in the Amitabha Buddha’.

 