1.
Amitabha Buddha; Amida Buddha
The Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life, the central figure of Pure Land Buddhism. Believed to welcome the faithful into the Western Paradise after death.
阿弥陀如来に手を��わせる。
To press one's hands together in prayer to Amitabha Buddha.
この寺の本尊は阿弥陀如来の立像だ。
The principal image of this temple is a standing statue of Amitabha Buddha.
浄土宗では、南無阿弥陀仏と唱えることで極楽浄土に往生できると説いている。
In the Jodo sect, it is taught that by chanting 'Namu Amida Butsu,' one can be reborn in the Western Paradise.
2.
amidakuji; lottery by drawing lines
Short for あみだくじ, a method of random selection where participants draw from a set of vertical lines connected by random horizontal rungs.
阿弥陀くじで順番を決めよう。
Let's decide the order by drawing lots.
席替えは阿弥陀くじでやった。
We decided the seat change by amidakuji lottery.
掃除当番を決めるのに阿弥陀くじを作ったら、結局自分が一番大変な場所に当たってしまった。
When I made an amidakuji to decide cleaning duty, I ended up getting assigned the hardest area.
A transliteration of the Sanskrit "Amitabha" (Infinite Light). 阿弥陀 is one of the most widely worshipped Buddhas in Japan, central to Pure Land Buddhism (浄土教). The chant 南無阿弥陀仏 ("I take refuge in Amida Buddha") is one of the most recognized Buddhist phrases in Japan.
The word also appears in 阿弥陀くじ (amidakuji lottery), named because the pattern of radiating lines was thought to resemble the halo behind Amida Buddha statues. This ladder lottery is widely used in Japan to make random selections — at school, at work, and in everyday life.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 阿弥陀如来: Amitabha Tathagata
- 南無阿弥陀仏: Namu Amida Butsu (the nembutsu chant)
- 阿弥陀くじ: amidakuji (ladder lottery)
- 阿弥陀堂: Amida hall (a hall dedicated to Amida Buddha)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 釈迦: Shakyamuni — the historical Buddha, founder of Buddhism
- 観音: Kannon — the Bodhisattva of Compassion, an attendant of Amida
- 大日如来: Vairocana — the cosmic Buddha, central to Shingon Buddhism