Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
Amitabha Buddha
This refers to the Buddha that really exists in the Western Land of Bliss. The Amitabha Sutra says, “If you travel westward from here, passing a hundred thousand kotis of Buddha-lands, you will come to the land called 'Utmost Bliss,'where there is a Buddha named Amitabha. He is living there now and teaching Dharma.
The Buddha’s Name and its translation
Regarding Amitabha Buddha’s name, some translate it with two names, some with one name, and others with three names. The most generally accepted ways are with two words or three words. In Sanskrit, there are two names for the Buddha, one is Amitabha, and the other is Amitayus. The former literally means infinite light, which specifically means a Buddha of infinite light.
Amitayus is a combination of “Amita” and “yus”, which means infinite and life respectively. It refers to a Buddha who possesses infinite life. Referring to other versions of the Amitabha Sutra, the answers to questions about the Buddha’s name are more or less the same.
Why is he called Amitayus? The answer is, the lifespans of the Buddha and the sentient beings in his Pure Land are immeasurable. Why is he also called Amitabha? The answer is that Amitabha Buddha constantly emits infinite, boundless, wondrous light. It permeates all Buddha-lands in the ten directions and performs all Buddhist activities without any obstructions. This explains why the Buddha originally has two names.
(to be continued tomorrow)
118 阿彌陀佛
指現在於西方極樂淨土實際存在的佛。《阿彌陀經》言:「從是西方,過十萬億佛土,有世界名曰極樂。其土有佛,號阿彌陀,今現在說法。」
佛名與翻譯
關於阿彌陀佛的佛名,有二名說與一名說兩種,對此佛佛名的翻譯也有二字譯與三字譯兩種。
二名說認為阿彌陀佛梵語的名字有兩種,一種是阿彌陀婆,一種是阿彌陀由須。阿彌陀婆是由無量這一形容詞與光明這一名詞組合而成,意為無量之光明,故譯為無量光。不過在這裡並不是指無量的光明,而是用來指代具有無量光明的佛。
阿彌陀由須是由無量這一形容詞與壽命這一名詞組合而成,意為無量之壽命,故譯為無量壽,這裡是以所有物來命名所有主,指代擁有無量壽命的佛。在《梵文阿彌陀經》及《稱讚淨土經》中都有問到為何彼佛名為無量壽,答言因彼佛及諸有情壽命無量無數大劫,故彼佛名為無量壽。又問到彼佛何故名為無量光,答言因彼佛恆放無量無邊妙光,遍照十方一切佛土,施作佛事,無有障礙,故彼佛名為無量光。據此可知,阿彌陀佛原本便有無量壽與無量光這兩種佛名。
Namo Amituofo!
