Amitabha Buddha was the lord of the Pure Land in the Western Paradise.
According to Buddhist doctrine, people suffered through the six paths of reincarnation. But if they were reborn in the Pure Land, they could escape the cycle of suffering.
His exalted status went without saying.
The seventeenth day of the eleventh lunar month was his sacred birthday.
There was also a story behind the origin of this date.
It was said that Amitabha Buddha had two incarnations in the human world.
One was Great Master Shandao.
The other was Great Master Yongming Yanshou.
Great Master Yongming Yanshou was not only the sixth patriarch of the Pure Land Sect, but also the third patriarch of the Fayan branch of Chan Buddhism.
He was born during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Buddhism was in decline at the time, but King Qian Chu of Wuyue treated him with reverence and honored him as National Teacher.
One day, King Qian Chu wanted to hold an Unobstructed Assembly. As the seats were arranged, everyone humbly declined the place of honor, and Great Master Yongming refused to sit there as well. Yet a ragged monk with long ears sat in the honored seat without the slightest hesitation.
After the assembly, King Qian Chu asked Great Master Yongming whether any sage had come to receive offerings. Great Master Yongming replied that Ancient Buddha Dingguang had come to receive offerings that day, hinting that the long-eared monk was him.
King Qian Chu was overjoyed and sent people after him, only to learn that the long-eared monk had been cultivating in a mountain cave. By the time they found him, he had already passed away.
Before his death, the long-eared monk had said, "Amitabha is so long-winded," hinting at Great Master Yongming's identity.
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