Amitabha Buddha

How to recognise Amitabha Buddha

1. Meditation mudraBoth hands rest in the lap, palms up, right over left, thumbs lightly touching, the gesture of calm meditation (other hand signs also appear in different traditions).
2. Lotus throneHe sits cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, the emblem of his family and the seat of his Pure Land, where devotees believe the newly reborn arise inside lotus buds.
3. Halo of lightA glow or flame-like halo surrounds his head and often his whole body, for light is the meaning of his name.
4. Buddha's marksLook for elongated earlobes and tight curled hair under a rounded topknot, with no crown or jewellery, since a crown marks a bodhisattva rather than a buddha.
5. Gold or red bodyEast Asian images commonly show gilded gold skin, while Himalayan images show a radiant deep red body, expressing the Lotus family, the west and the setting sun.
6. Alms bowl or long-life vaseHimalayan images often rest an alms bowl on his palms, and in his Amitayus form he holds a vase of long-life nectar.
7. Three Sages of the WestHe is often flanked by smaller attendants, Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin, Kannon), who has a tiny Amitabha in the crown, and Mahasthamaprapta (Seishi).

Names and titles

• Buddha of Infinite LightAmitabha, the Sanskrit name, means Infinite Light
• Buddha of Infinite LifeAs Amitayus he is the buddha of Infinite Lifespan
• Lord of the Western Pure LandHe is the buddha of Sukhavati, the Western Paradise
• The Forty-Eight VowsAs the monk Dharmakara he made 48 vows before becoming a buddha
• Welcome at SunsetRaigō images show Amida arriving with light to welcome the faithful; the west and the setting sun are his direction

Feast days

• Amitabha Buddha's Birthday (阿彌陀佛聖誕)17th day of the 11th lunar month (next: 24 December 2026)

  A Chinese Pure Land day honouring Amitabha, Buddha of Infinite Light. It is kept on the birthday of Yongming Yanshou, sixth Pure Land patriarch, whom devotees honour as an emanation of Amitabha.

  How it's celebrated. Temples often hold a seven-day assembly of reciting Amitabha's name in the days before, then a birthday ceremony on the day itself. Hangzhou's Jingci Temple is one recorded example. Some Buddhist communities also treat the day as a time for gratitude, mindfulness and making resolutions.

  Sources: Pure Land Buddhism: Master Yongming Yanshou · Baiduwiki: JingCi Temple · Fo Guang Shan: Amitabha Buddha Day

• Spring Higan21 March 2027 (date to be confirmed)

  A seven-day Japanese Buddhist observance centred on the spring equinox. Higan means "the other shore". Pure Land Buddhists turn their thoughts to Amida Buddha's Pure Land, which they hold to lie in the west. It is the spring counterpart of Autumn Higan.

  How it's celebrated. Temples hold Ohigan services, and families visit graves, leave flowers and offerings, and make offerings at the home altar. Spring's traditional sweet is botamochi. Jōdo Shinshu temples stress hearing the nembutsu teaching rather than memorial rites for the dead, so emphasis differs between communities.

  Sources: Senmyoji: What to Do at Ohigan (Jōdo Shinshu) · Nippon.com: Higan, Japan's Buddhist Equinox Holiday · Wikipedia: Higan

• Autumn Higan23 September 2027 (date to be confirmed)

  A seven-day Japanese Buddhist observance centred on the autumn equinox. It is the same Higan observance as in spring. Pure Land devotees turn their thoughts west, toward Amida Buddha's Pure Land, the "other shore".

  How it's celebrated. Temples hold Ohigan services, and families clean and visit graves, offer flowers and incense, and honour ancestors at the home altar. The autumn sweet is ohagi, called botamochi in spring. Some Pure Land practitioners also recall the sutra practice of contemplating the setting sun, facing west.

  Sources: Spiritual Japan Journal: The Buddhist Meaning of Ohigan · Honami Japan: Rituals of Japan's Silver Week · Senmyoji: What to Do at Ohigan (Jōdo Shinshu)