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Amita Buddha

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The name “Amita” comes from the Sanskrit Amitabha and Amitayus, translated “Boundless, or Infinite Light and Life.” The Chinese is (阿弥陀佛) A Mi Tuo Fo, the Tibetan is O-pa-me, the Korean is Amit’a Bui, the Vietnamese is A-di-da Phat, and the Japanese is Amida Butso. He became in China and Japan especially, the supreme personification of the Dharmakaya, the highest enlightenment and the supreme beauty of infinite love, not one of many Buddhas but of Buddhahood itself (Malalasekera et al. 1961, p. 434). He was not conceived of as a god. He was a man who became an awakened Buddha in the traditional manner (Malalasekera et al. 1961, p. 438). Mahayana Buddhism believes that many awakened Buddhas can exist simultaneously, not just in past and future.

Pure Land

Amita is the leading Buddha of Pure Land (or Ultimate Bliss) Buddhism, practiced primarily in China and East Asia, and is spreading worldwide. The Pure Land is a marvelous transcendental western paradise of gold, gems, flowers, perfume,...

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Correspondence to Minqin Wang .

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Wang, M., Bailey, L.W. (2014). Amita Buddha. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_791

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_791

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6085-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6086-2

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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