Amitabha Buddha is the most common Buddha among the many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, and its popularity is unparalleled. After Buddhism was introduced to China, everyone knew about Amitabha and Avalokitesvara in every household, whether believers or not.

Amitabha is the most common Buddha among the many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, and its popularity is unparalleled. Sakyamuni Buddha has spoken many times about Amitabha Buddha and the Western Paradise constructed by His wishes and deeds on different occasions. After Buddhism was introduced into China , everyone knew about Amitabha and Avalokitesvara in every household, whether believers or non-believers. In the Chinese Buddhist circle, the phrase "Amitabha Buddha" has become an indispensable preposition when people meet, ask, greet or exchange letters. As a must-have in temple halls for Buddhist ritual activities and even in small Buddhist halls in the homes of lay people, Buddha statues are the objects of worship for believers. Through the sacred and solemn statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva, they can achieve spiritual connection with Buddha and Bodhisattva.

We know that Sakyamuni Buddha is a real person in history. He was born in the royal family of Kapilavastu in ancient India (now in Nepal) in 565 BC. Amitabha is the Buddha from other worlds that Sakyamuni Buddha introduced to his disciples when he lectured on scriptures. The appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha was well known to the public at that time, and later paintings or statues were naturally based on it. But where did the sacred image of Amitabha come from? Some people would say that this was created by masters of painting and sculpture based on classic descriptions, which makes sense, but in fact there are documentary records recording the origin of the Amitabha statue.

In the Tang Dynasty eminent monk Daoshi Master (? ~683 years), "Fayuan Zhulin" (Volume 15), it is recorded in the Amitabha Induction Destiny: "In the Sui Dynasty, there was Amitabha Buddha, The fifty Bodhisattva statues are the auspicious statues of Western Regions Tianzhu. According to legend, in the past, the Wutong Bodhisattva of Jitoumo Temple in Tianzhu went to the Land of Elysium ( Paradise ) to ask for Amitabha Buddha: "Saha living beings wish to be reborn in the Pure Land. Without the image of the Buddha, they can't help it. Please surrender." ’. (Amitabha) Buddha said: "Go ahead and look for that place where it will appear." When the (Wutong) Bodhisattva returns, his image has arrived, one Buddha and fifty Bodhisattva, each sitting on a leaf (the leaves of the Bedoro tree growing in the South Asian subcontinent, about 60 cm long, referred to as bay leaf . It was often used as a carrier for written classics in ancient India before paper existed). Eastern Han Dynasty In the 10th year of Yongping (67 years), the eminent Indian monk Kasyapa Mateng (?~73 years), at the invitation of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, came to the East to spread Buddhism and lived in Baima Temple in Luoyang, pioneering Buddhism in Han Dynasty. Soon, Kasyapa Mateng's nephew and sister's son (a monk) came to the east with this auspicious statue. He left the image of Linmo and then "returned westward with the image" and returned to Tianzhu with the original. However, the Buddha statue of Linmo was not widely circulated at that time. Later, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty experienced two disasters that destroyed Buddhism. This statue disappeared for a long time until Buddhism flourished during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. At that time, a monk named Ming Xian came from The Taoist Master of Northern Qi ( Gao Qi ) obtained this auspicious image and found out its origin. He asked Cao Zhongda, a master of painting at that time, to repaint it. It circulated in the world and was used by temples in various places.