1.
Amitabha Buddha; Amida Buddha
a celestial buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, central to Pure Land Buddhism, who vows to save all beings who call upon his name
南無阿弥陀仏と唱えた。
I chanted 'Namu Amida Butsu.'
この寺の本尊は阿弥陀仏だ。
The principal image of this temple is Amitabha Buddha.
浄土宗では、阿弥陀仏の名を唱えることで極楽浄土に生まれ変われると教えている。
In Jodo Buddhism, it is taught that by chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha, one can be reborn in the Pure Land.
The name comes from Sanskrit 'Amitabha' meaning 'infinite light.' 阿弥陀仏 is the central figure in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism (浄土宗 and 浄土真宗), the most widely practiced forms of Buddhism in Japan. The chant 南無阿弥陀仏 ('I take refuge in Amida Buddha') is one of the most recognizable religious phrases in Japanese culture.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 南無阿弥陀仏: 'Namu Amida Butsu' — the nenbutsu chant
- 阿弥陀仏の像: statue of Amitabha Buddha
- 阿弥陀仏を拝む: to pray to Amitabha Buddha
- 阿弥陀仏の救い: the salvation of Amitabha Buddha
RELATED TERMS:
- 念仏: nenbutsu — the practice of chanting the name of Amitabha
- 浄土: Pure Land — the paradise of Amitabha Buddha
- 阿弥陀如来: Amitabha Tathagata — the more formal title