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Thus Come One is unobstructed throughout all
Buddhalands. For this reason that Thus Come One is
named "Limitless Light."
Shakyamuni Buddha continues to explain the name of
Amita Buddha to his disciple sariputra "Sariputra,"
saying khalu "You should know," punah "again" the
abha' "light" (feminine noun, nominative singular,
subject of the sentence) tasya "of that" tathagatasya
"Thus Come One" (see previous lessons for
explanation) "is" (understood, not expressed by a
word in Sanskrit apratihata "unobstructed." This is
the perfect passive participle of root £¾han-
"strike/hit/ obstruct" + prefix prati- "against" and
suffix -ta of the perfect participle, here -ta to
agree with abha. It is negated by the privative pre-
fix a- "un-", but note how a- combined in sound and
writing with the previous long -a final on abha.
To what extent is that Buddha's light unobstructed?
It extends "throughout" (indicated by the locative
plural neuter suffix -esu) sarva "all" buddha
"Buddha" ksetresu "lands." ksetra is a neuter noun
meaning "Land," and it is here compounded with the
words for "all" and "Buddha" to form what can be said
in one long word in Sanskrit but takes many words in
English.
Tena "for this" karanena "reason" sa "that'
tathagato "Thus Come One" namocyate "is named" amita
"Limitless"--see previous lessons for explanation of
these words--abho "Light," That's why he is called
"Amittabha Buddha": amita "limitless" + abha "light,"
literally "the one who possesses light that is
unmeasured/limitless." Note that abha became abho,
for in such a compound of possession the entire name
is the gender of the person (here masculine for it is
the Buddha) even though the noun was feminine to
begin with, and is inflected according to how the
word is used in the sentence, here being nominative
singular masculine, a predicate nominative. Now we
know why Amita Buddha is called "Amitabha" -
"Limitless Light."