Amitabha Buddha, Chenrezig & Padmasambhava

Amitabha Buddha

Amitabha, (Sanskrit: “Infinite Light”) also called Amitayus (“Infinite Life”), Japanese: Amida, Chinese: Emituo Fo, in Mahayana Buddhism, and particularly in the so-called Pure Land sects, the great savior Buddha.

Amitabha is known as the Red Buddha of the west and the most ancient among the Five Dhyani Buddhas of the Vajrayana tradition.

Amitabha was a king who renounced his throne to become a monk. He took the name of Dharmakara Bodhisattva and after accumulating great merit over countless lives, finally achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha.

Buddha Amitabha now reigns over “Sukhavati”, the western paradise also called “The Pure Land”.

Amitabha has red skin and is dressed in monk's robes sitting in a lotus position. His hands are folded and facing up in meditation Mudra (Samadhi) holding a bowl containing the nectar of immortality.

Amitayus is the emanation of Amitabha and he is depicted with fine clothes, jewels, and a five-pointed crown.

Amitabha is the symbol of comprehensive love, longevity, and wisdom. He is associated with the third “Skandha” of perception and the technique of visualization of the surrounding world as a paradise. Practicing Tantric meditation on Amitabha is an antidote against greed and desire.

Chenrezig aka Avalokitesvara aka Avalokiteshvara

Chenrezig, also known as Avalokitesvara, “One who looks with an unwavering eye” is the most revered of all Bodhisattva, embodying the compassion of all Buddhas. He listens to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of challenge and difficulty.

In one prominent Buddhist story, Chenrezig vows never to rest until he has helped free all sentient beings from Samsara, but despite his best efforts, his task is overwhelming. So, in his effort to reach out to so many cries of suffering, his arms are shattered into pieces, making them many, to better reach out to those in need.

Sometimes Chenrezig visualized with eleven heads and a thousand arms fanned out around him. Tibetan Buddhism relates Chenrezig to the six-syllable mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, and when this mantra is spoken aloud or in silence, it invokes his benevolent power and intervention.

Chenrezig is considered the patron of Tibet. And, in fact, the living Buddha, the Dalai Lama, is an incarnation of him.

In China, Chenrezig is often depicted in a female form and he is known as Kuan Yin or Guanyin.

Padmasambhava aka Guru Rinpoche

Padmasambhava, also called Guru Rinpoche, Tibetan: Slob-Dpon (“Teacher”), or Padma Byung-Gnas (“Lotus-Born”), Buddhist mystic who introduced Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and who is credited with establishing the first Buddhist monastery there.

Padmasambhava is often depicted in his more traditional representation seated in royal posture holding a Vajra in his right hand while his left hand holds a skull-cup containing a vase filled with the nectar of longevity and wisdom.