Today we are going to talk about “Amitabha“. 

Amitabha is an Indian word, in Sanskrit called “Amitabha“, translated into Chinese as “Infinite Light“. Infinite light means light that is boundless/limitless radiance, it is also translated as “Infinite Life”. Unlimited life, this life represents time. Never-ending time, infinite long life, is called “Infinite Life“. Infinite light means: up and down the ten directions, everywhere is filled with light, this is called “Infinite Light“.

It is also what we often say, across all time and all of space. The so-called three times are the past, present and future, spanning all of space and filling all the ten directions.

“Amitabha” we all know is Amitabha Buddha. Amitabha Buddha also lived in the world in the past. He was a prince. A prince who became a monk. His dharma name was Bhiksu Dharmakara, Reverend Dharma Treasure. Later, he attained Buddhahood and became Amitabha Buddha. 

Bhiksu Dharmakara once used teleportation to travel to several hundreds of millions of Buddha Lands. It is like the hundreds of millions of Buddha lands where the Buddha ancestors lived, which is outer space in our current terminology. He has traveled to all realms of outer space, and then took all the best bits and established the most beautiful Buddhist land in the West, which is the Western Pureland of Sukhavati.

He has twelve titles. Amitabha Buddha himself has twelve titles. He has twelve kinds of flowers and twelve kinds of light. 

He made forty-eight great vows, forty-eight great wishes, all of which are mainly for the purpose of saving sentient beings. Amitabha Buddha is very great. 

As you all know, when we chant the Buddha’s name today, we are chanting Amitabha Buddha. The Buddha who is most chanted by others is also Amitabha Buddha. The Buddha that everyone knows the most is also Amitabha Buddha. In the future, the place that everyone wants to go is also where Amitabha Buddha is.

Therefore in the past, funeral homes had a horizontal plaque which was written beautifully and clearly. Every time a hearse came out, it was “Rebirth in the Western Purelands“. Everyone wanted to go there. Actually the Taoist Jade Pond is also in the West. So it’s either Jade Pond or the Western Purelands of Sukhavati, these are the two places that people want to go. 

Amitabha Buddha is still the leader in the Western Pureland. The two attendants who help Amitabha Buddha are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. Amitabha Buddha is still expounding the dharma in the Western Pureland. Because he himself has infinite light and infinite life, Amitabha Buddha is therefore infinite.

I often talk about Padmakumara, the lotus youth we revere, and the lotus youth in the Maha Twin Lotus Pond in the Western Pureland that I saw 20 years ago. I have been emphasizing this realm, but I have never talked about why there is a Padmakumara in the Western Paradise? 

Many people don’t understand why there is Padmakumara in the Western Pureland? 

In fact, everyone may also understand this secret: “The Padmakumara is Amitabha Buddha.”

It is just a name change. Padmakumara is actually Amitabha Buddha, but when he showed me, he had a different name. As for the lotus, actually, the Western Pureland is full of lotuses, and everyone there stands on a lotus, it is a general name. 

The youth is a bodhisattva, because if Amitabha Buddha came down to liberate sentient beings, everyone would say: “Oh! Impossible! Why would such a great Buddha come to save sentient beings? He is busy enough in the West, why does he have to come to Earth to save sentient beings?”

Actually he only changed his name. So, at that time, Amitabha Buddha entrusted Padmakumara to save sentient beings, Shakyamuni Buddha gave Padmakumara a prophesy, Amitabha Buddha entrusted him with mission of salvation, Maitreya Bodhisattva crowned him with a red crown, and Guru Padmasambhava taught him the Tantras, that is how it went.

So I have never dared to say that Padmakumara, the Lotus Youth, is Amitabha Buddha, I dared not say it, but today I said it out even though I dare not to say it. I think it will only bring slander again! 

However, my life can be represented by three or two words, which is “fearlessness”, that is, “giver of fearlessness”. “Fearlessness” means not to be afraid of anything, and “giver of fearlessness” means only giving to sentient beings and not to be afraid of anything.

So it doesn’t matter what people say. The physical body does not exist. If someone today scolds Amitabha Buddha, curses the Padmakumara, curses Shakyamuni Buddha, it actually all doesn’t matter. 

It is saying that even if someone comes to slander the Master, it doesn’t matter either, because it is all fearlessness and being giver of fearlessness; only giving to sentient beings, don’t be afraid of anything, this is fearlessness and giver of fearlessness. Everything is no longer important, nothing is important in this world! 

What do you say is important? 

Pride issues, I already don’t have pride! Status issues, I also don’t have any status, none! Money issues, I also just live an average life! Spouse, money, children, lifespan, good fortune, I take all these lightly. Everything is almost gone, so what is there still to be afraid of? 

So when you reach this state, you are fearless of everything, giver of fearlessness for everything!

Amitabha Buddha has several hand mudras. These are mudras used to liberate sentient beings. When you perform deliverance rites, you may also form these mudras. They are very simple.

The mudras of the Nine Grades of Lotus Rebirth are something most of you should already know. They are the mudras for upper grade upper rebirth, upper grade middle rebirth, upper grade lower rebirth, middle grade upper rebirth, middle grade middle rebirth, middle grade lower rebirth, lower grade upper rebirth, lower grade middle rebirth, and lower grade lower rebirth. These are the nine mudras.

They are the Nine Grades of Lotus Rebirth mudras through which Amitabha Buddha liberates sentient beings. When performing deliverance, even if one simply recites some sutras and forms these nine mudras, it naturally corresponds to rebirth in the nine lotus grades and is able to liberate sentient beings.

That’s all for tonight.

Amitabha Buddha.