Brief History of the Buddha

A Summary History of Amitabha Buddha and His 48 Great Vows

Update: 24/07/2007
Amitabha Buddha’s merits and virtues are extremely great. They originate from the great pity and great vows of His to benefit others. He resigned himself to leave everything behind such as His noble throne and had commited Himself to perform His self-improvement until He became a Buddha in a splendid and solemn realm so as to help all living beings.. After a period, He attained good and glorious results as He had vowed.
 

A Summary History of Amitabha Buddha and His 48 Great Vows

 

\r\n\r\n

A. Opening the topic:

\r\n\r\n

Everybody knows that trees have their roots and water has\r\nits source. Likewise, as most of us are Buddhists who follow the method of\r\npraying to Buddha in the hope that we shall be able to go to the Pure Land\r\n(Extreme Happiness) after death, we must master the history of Amitabha Buddha\r\nand how His 48 vows are.

\r\n\r\n

Amitabha Buddha did create very great merits and wanted to\r\nact on His very generous vows. He had enough causes and conditions to help a\r\ngreat number of living beings in this worldly world.

\r\n\r\n

Wishing all living beings in this world to overcome their\r\nmiserable lives due to sufferings, birth, ageing, illness and death, Sakyamuni\r\nBuddha made clear the very generous vows of Amitabha Buddha as well as showed\r\nthe very easy method of self-improvement to Pure Land. From the upper strata\r\ndown to the common people, everybody will be able to go to Pure Land after\r\ndeath if they have carried out their self-improvement correctly and seriously.

\r\n\r\n

B.  Main topic:

\r\n\r\n

I-Explanation of the title ‘Sakyamuni Buddha’

\r\n\r\n

Amita or Amitabha is the phonetic transcription of the\r\nSanskrit word ‘Amita’. In Chinese character, it means ‘Infinite Life’ and\r\n‘Infinite Light’. The former means boundless life-span, and the latter\r\n‘immesurable light’, the halo seen around a Buddha’s head - these are all the\r\ncharacters that a Buddha has.

\r\n\r\n

II- Summary of Amitabha Buddha’s self-improvement and His\r\nvarious stages of attainment.

\r\n\r\n

 Amitabha Buddha’a fundamental causes in His lives are\r\nvery numerous. They cannot be counted. The following are just four of them.

\r\n\r\n

1. In the section called ‘A patron of Buddhism’ of the sutra\r\nentitled Wonderful Law Lotus Flower, the following has been recorded :

\r\n\r\n

“Amitabha Buddha’s former life was the son of The great\r\nBuddha of penetration and wisdom called Mahabhijna Tathagata. He often lectured\r\non the sutra entilted The Lotus Sutra to sentient beings; therefore He became a\r\nBuddha with the title Amitabha, in the world of Western Extremely Happiness.”

\r\n\r\n

2.  In the sutra called ‘A samadhi on the\r\ncharacteristic marks of a Buddha’, the following has been written:

\r\n\r\n

“In His previous life He was a bhiksu, in charge of\r\nobserving the physionomy  of\r\nKhong Vuong Buddha’s white eyebrows - therefore, He was named Amitabha.”

\r\n\r\n

3.  In the sutra named ‘Great and Joy’ the following\r\nhas been recorded:

\r\n\r\n

In His innumerable previous lives He was a king in Chuyen\r\nLuan with the name Vo Tranh Nhiem. He had a high-ranking mandarin named Bao\r\nHai, who had a  very large religious faith. One day, the king learned that\r\nBao Tang Buddha would give a lecture in Diem Phu garden which was next to His\r\ncitadel. The king, together with his mandarin Bao Hai, came to listen to the\r\nsermon and they felt very satisfied with it. The king then politely invited the\r\nBuddha and the people present to come into His palace so that He might make\r\nofferings to the Buddha for 3 successive months to pray for blessings.

\r\n\r\n

The Buddha advised the king to make an offering with pious\r\nintent to perfect universal enlightment.

\r\n\r\n

At that moment Bao Tang Buddha let out a bright halo\r\nlighting up the world over. Bao Hai mandarin quickly reported to king Vo Tranh\r\nNiem, “Now you are relying on the miraculous power of the Buddha to see through\r\nthe entire world. So, what type of world do you want to govern?”

\r\n\r\n

The king prostrated himself to the Buddha by kneeling down\r\nwith his hands clasped together and presented his great vow that when he became\r\na Buddha he would wish his country as well as his people to obtain solemn\r\ntranquility. And thanks to such casual connections, the king later became\r\nBuddha with the title ‘Amitabha Buddha in the Western Happiness world’.

\r\n\r\n

4.  Sakyamuni Buddha ever said,

\r\n\r\n

“In the very long past, more than 10 incarnations ago, there\r\nwas a country named Dieu Hy. The country was ruled by a father king named\r\nNguyet Thuong Luan and his wife Thu Thang Dieu Nhan. This royal couple gave\r\nbirth to three princes  -  the eldest was named Nhut Nguyet Minh, the\r\nsecond-born child Kieu Thi Ca, and the third one Nhat De Chung. When the\r\nappearance of the Buddha named The Tu Tai Vuong Nhu Lai who came into life,\r\nprince Kieu Thi Ca abandoned all riches and honours to follow The Tu Tai Buddha\r\nby leaving his home to become a monk. The Buddha gave him the name Phap Tang\r\nbhiksu. In front of the Buddha, Phap Tang bhiksu presented his 48 great vows\r\nwhich were to help all sentient beings in all over the world and if there was\r\nan incomplete vow then he would not become a Buddha. At the moment all the gods\r\nthrew out flowers, exclaimed joys, the globe shook, and right amid the air the\r\nfollowing praise was heard:

\r\n\r\n

“Phap Tang has decided to be a Buddha entitled Amitabha”.

\r\n\r\n

From this story we know that the precursor of Amitabha was\r\nprince Kieu Thi Ca, who had abandoned the precious crown and left his home to\r\nfinally become a Buddha.

\r\n\r\n

III.  Amitabha Buddha’s 48 great vows

\r\n\r\n

His first vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will not\r\nstay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if there still are a hell,\r\nhungry spirits, and animals within my country.

\r\n\r\n

His second vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men\r\nand devas in my country still have to return to the three evil ways.

\r\n\r\n

His third vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if the bodies of those of\r\nthe rank of men and devas in my country have not completely turned into yellow.

\r\n\r\n

His fourth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will not\r\nstay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those who belong to the rank\r\nof men and devas within my country still have their abnormal or unequal bodies.

\r\n\r\n

His fifth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will not\r\nstay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the men and devas\r\nwithin my country still not have their divine knowledge  -  the\r\nknowledge of former past lives of their own and of others.

\r\n\r\n

His sixth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men\r\nand devas within my country have not obtained celestial eyes  -  at\r\nleast they can clearly see millions of the world of Buddhas.

\r\n\r\n

His seventh vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will not\r\nstay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men and\r\ndevas within my country have not obtained celestial ears  -  at least\r\nthey can hear and hold on the lectures given by the Buddhas in the hundred\r\nthousands of former past lives.

\r\n\r\n

His eighth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men\r\nand devas within my country have not obtained divine mind  -  at\r\nleast they clearly know the wishes of all the sentient beings from the hundred\r\nthousands of the world.

\r\n\r\n

His ninth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men\r\nand devas within my country have not obtained magical powers  -  at\r\nleast they are able to pass through walls and mountains just as if through the\r\nair.

\r\n\r\n

His tenth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will not\r\nstay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of men and\r\ndevas within my country still have their opinion of greed for their own bodies.

\r\n\r\n

His eleventh vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of\r\nmen and devas within my country still don’t have their firmly-settled\r\nself-improvement and extreme patience.

\r\n\r\n

His twelfth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if illumination is\r\nstill limited  -  at least it can reach hundred thousands of\r\ndestinations in the world.

\r\n\r\n

His thirteenth vow: When  becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if life-spans are still\r\nlimited  -  at least they must be  extended to hundred thousand\r\nlives.  

\r\n\r\n

His fourteenth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if the hearers in my country\r\ncannot be counted although that is the infinite number of Pratyeka-buddhas\r\ncounted from hundred thousands of lives.

\r\n\r\n

His fifteenth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if life-span of those of the\r\nrank of men and devas within my country is still limited, except for those who\r\nhave their own wishes.

\r\n\r\n

His sixteenth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of\r\nmen and devas within my country still hear the noun uncharitableness.

\r\n\r\n

Seventeenth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if the infinite number\r\nof Buddhas in the universe do not praise my title.

\r\n\r\n

His eighteenth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if living beings in the\r\nworld over who wish to be born in my world, but after having counted up to ten\r\ntimes, cannot realize their wish, except for those who have created such crimes\r\nas betraying and defaming Buddhist Dharma.

\r\n\r\n

His nineteenth vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if I, together with\r\neverybody, fail to personify in front of a dying person who has shown kindness\r\nof heart and correctly performed him/herself-improvement with the aspiration to\r\nbe reborn into my world.

\r\n\r\n

His twentieth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if living beings in the\r\nworld over who have heard of my title and have been longing for my world, and\r\nhave practised their correct improvement so as to be reborn into my world but\r\ncannot reach the summit of their hopes.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-first vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all the people of\r\nthe rank of men and devas within my country cannot meet all the 32 great-man\r\nappearances.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-second vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if Bodhisattvas from\r\nother worlds who have been reborn into my world with their ends to reach their\r\nhighest rank abroad, except for those who have their own wishes, to evolve or\r\ndisappear themselves, to put forth their vows, to practise themselves, to save\r\nall species, to make offers to all Buddhas, etc., to go all around the entire\r\nworld to realize merits and virtues for the sake of their sentient beings but\r\nhave not materialized their wishes.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-third vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodisattvas in\r\nmy country who, by order of the Buddha’s miraculous strength, cannot go to\r\ncountless worlds to offer just one meal a day to all Buddhas.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-fourth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodisattvas in\r\nmy country fail to materialize their merits and virtues, including offerings to\r\nall Buddhas at their will.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-fifth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodisattvas\r\nwithin my country cannot have their uninamity.

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-sixth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodisattvas in\r\nmy country have not had their Narayana body  -  Narayana is\r\nrepresented with three faces of greenish-yellow colour, right hand with a\r\nwheel, and riding a garuda bird.

\r\n\r\n

Hia twenty-seventh vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I\r\nswear I will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all the\r\nbelongings of those of the rank of men and divas in my country are not kept\r\nbright and clean, and if the names of those belongings are clearly\r\nmastered  -  although by celestial eyes.

\r\n\r\n

Twenty-eighth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if Bodisattvas in my\r\ncountry, even the one with most merits and virtues, have not ever seen the\r\nBodhi-mandala tree which hasreached the height of four hundred thousand joyanas\r\n(equal to 18 Chinese miles).

\r\n\r\n

His twenty-ninth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas\r\nof my country do not have their power of speech when they lecture, recite\r\nand/or preach sutras.

\r\n\r\n

His thirtieth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if there is someone who\r\nis able to limit the eloquence of all the Bodhisattvas in my country.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-first vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if my transquil\r\ncountry can no longer be seen through its infinite number of\r\nworlds           like to see\r\none’s face in a bright miror.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-second vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if everything in my\r\ncountry, from the ground to nothingness, including all the buildings and\r\npalaces, rivers, trees and plants, etc. all are full of and made up of infinite\r\nprecious things as well as of hundred-thousands of perfumes vanishing all\r\naround the world to the extent that  Bodhisattvas from far-away corners of\r\nthe world can smell the fragrance and quickly practise their self-improvement\r\nafter Buddha’s virtues. But such things will no lonnger exist.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-third vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if various forms of\r\nliving beings in all directions will not become brighter and more flexible than\r\nmen and devas thanks to my illumination.

\r\n\r\n

His thiry-fourth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all living beings\r\nin all the corners of the world cannot gain the method of insight into the\r\nnon-origination of\r\nDharmas                        \r\n, as well as the methods called ‘deep-total-patient’.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-fifth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if women in infite\r\ncorners of the world cannot become joyful and start out for Bodhi enlightenment\r\nto the extent of detesting their feminine bodies, and/or if they will be reborn\r\nin the form of female ones.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-sixth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas\r\nin all corners of the world, once hearing my title, will not continue their\r\nvirtuous self-improvement until they become Buddhas.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-seven vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if, once having heard\r\nof my title, those in the rank of men and devas of all the corners of the world\r\nwill not lower their heads to kowtow themselves to show their confidence in\r\nBodhisattvas and therefore gain respect from other people.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-eighth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank\r\nof men and devas in my country cannot immediately have the clothes they wish,\r\ninstead of waiting for  such phases to make them as cutting the materials,\r\nsewing, washing, etc.

\r\n\r\n

His thirty-ninth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank\r\nof men and devas in my country can enjoy happiness, unlike the monk who has\r\nended the stream of transmigration.

\r\n\r\n

His fortieth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if those of the rank of\r\nmen and devas in my country cannot immediately see infinite numbers of Buddha’s\r\nquiet realms even in the most hidden corners.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-first vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas in\r\nall corners of the world who have heard of my title and from then on cannot\r\nincur patience until they become Buddhas because their six senses are still\r\ninadequate.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-second vow: When becoming a Buddha, I swear I will\r\nnot stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas in other\r\ncorners of the world, after having heard of my title, are liberated from the\r\nmind fixed and liberated.  Even these men and devas still keep these conditions\r\nbut offer to infinite numbers of the World Honored One without lacking right\r\nmindfulness.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-third vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas in\r\nother corners of the world, after having heard of my title, cannot be reborn\r\ninto esteemed and noble families.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-fourth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas\r\nin other corners of the world, after having heard of my title, cannot be joyful\r\nand radiant in practising their self-improvement after Bodhisattva’s complete\r\nconduct.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-fifth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas in\r\nother corners of the world, after having heard of my title, are not able to\r\nobtain the state in which they can get the effortless concentration so that\r\nthey can see all Buddhas from various directions.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-sixth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear I\r\nwill not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas in\r\nmy country cannot immediately hear any dharma they wish.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-seventh vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas\r\nin other corners of the world, after having heard of my title, cannot reach the\r\nstate in which they can never retreat but going straight to nirvana.

\r\n\r\n

His forty-eighth vow:  When becoming a Buddha, I swear\r\nI will not stay in the position of the wisdom of a Buddha if all Bodhisattvas\r\nin other corners of the world, after having heard of my title, cannot\r\nimmediately obtain the first degree of patience, and in Buddha Dharma cannot\r\nreach the state in which they can never retreat but going straight to nirvana.

\r\n\r\n

C. Conclusion

\r\n\r\n

In summary, in the history of Amitabha and His 48 great vows\r\nwe can see that His merits and virtues are very great, which originate from His\r\ngreat pity and benefitting others. He resigned Himself in abandoning His precious\r\nthrone and pledged to practise His self-improvement until He became a Buddha in\r\na splendid and solemn world where He can save all living beings. Clearly, after\r\na period of time He attained perfect expected results, and brightly appeared as\r\nHe had ever vowed.

\r\n\r\n

We, Buddhists have known how to chant Amitabha’s title, how\r\nto practise the method of chanting Buddhas for reaching the Extreme Happiness\r\nworld after death (the Pure Land)  -  all is thankful to His aimiable\r\nguidance.

\r\n\r\n

Therefore, all Buddhists are advised to follow Amitabha\r\nBuddha’s great examples so as to start out for perfect enlightenment so that at\r\nour death’s door we may be reborn into the Extreme Happiness world, or be\r\nreincarnated from lotus, or practise our self-improvement until we reach the\r\nstate in which we can never retreat but going straight to nirvana and then\r\nreturn to jambudvida (the worldly world) to save our relatives as well as\r\npractised living beings so that they may become Buddhas.

\r\n\r\n

Venerable Thich Thien Hoa

\r\n\r\n

Translated into English by Mr.Hoang Huan.

\r\n\r\n

 

Related News

History of Sakyamuni Buddha
05/05/2007
Summary History of Sakyamuni Buddha
05/05/2007
Previous incarnation of Amitabha Buddha
31/03/2007