Amitabha

Amitabha is one of Five Enlightened Buddhas and the ‘Lord of the padma or Lotus Family’, who is assigned to the mandala’s western quadrant. Amitabha, meaning ‘Infinite Light’, is ruby-red in colour, his symbol is the red lotus, and he represents the purified aggregate of perception, and the wisdom aspect of discriminating awareness. He wears the three red robes of a nirmanakaya monk along with an inner green robe that covers his right arm, and his hands rest upon his lap in the dhyana-mudra of meditation as he holds a blue alms-bowl of vaidurya gemstone that is filled with nectar. He sits in vajra-posture upon a white moon disc and lotus above his peacock-throne, the four faces of which are ornamented with two peacocks. A stack of coloured jewels and the ‘eight auspicious substances’ appear as offerings in front of his throne. The recitation of Amitabha’s mantra is believed to lead to rebirth in his western paradise or Pure Land of Sukhavati, the ‘joyful or blissful realm’, and his worship is very popular in the Tibetan, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Mahayana Buddhist traditions.

© text by Robert Beer