Japanese
Amida
Great bronze Amida (Daibutsu) at Kamakura, Japan, 1252.
Saviour deity worshiped by followers of
Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. According to the
Sukhavati-vyuha-sutra (Pure Land
sutra), the monk Dharmakara vowed many ages ago that once he attained buddhahood, all who believed in him and called upon his name would be born into his paradise (the Pure Land) and reside there until achieving
nirvana. The cult of Amitabha came to the forefront in China
circa 650 and then spread to Japan, where it led to the formation of the Pure Land and True Pure Land sects. In the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and in Nepal, Amitabha is regarded as one of the five eternal buddhas (rather than as a saviour), who manifested himself as the earthly
Buddha Gautama and as the
bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.
Learn more about Amitabha with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
