"In the same way, in the Western direction
there is the Thus Come One named Limitless
Life, the Thus Come One named Limitless Skandha.
the Thus Come One named Limitless Banner, the
Thus Come One named Great Light, the Thus Come
One named Great Jewelled Appearance, and the
Thus Come One named Pure Beams of Light."


   This lesson introduces the pascima "Western"
direction, citing the names of representative
Buddhas.  The West is the Lotus Division, whose
Dharma Host is Amitabha "Limitless Light"Buddha,
also known as the tathagata "Thus Come One"
amitayus "Limitless" (amita) "Life" (ayus).
Consult VBS issue #123 for make-up of the name.
That lesson also explains the sound changes when
tathagata--another title for "Buddha"--combines
with the following a- of amita, as happens in
the name of the Buddha (a)mita-skandha "Limit-
less Skandha," and that of (a)mita-dvaja "Limit-
less Banner" Buddha.  The masculine noun skandha
means literally "shoulder." By extension of the
idea  of main branching from a central trunk,
skandha also means "bough," "section," "troop,"
"heap," "aggregate," and so forth.  It is the
same word that refers to the five constituent
elements of being, the Five Skandhas which are
rupa "form," vedana "feeling," samjna "thinking,"
samskarah "formations" and vijnana "consciousness."

   Refer back to the introduction of the Eastern
direction in VBS #141 and of the Southern direction
in VBS #146 for explanation of the grammar
and the phrasing.

    maha "great" and prabha "light" combine to
make mahuprabha in that Buddha's name.  maha
+ ratna "jewel" and ketu "appearance/brightness"
form the name of the next Buddha.  suddha "pure/
purified" + rasmi "cord/beam/ray" + prabha add
up to make "Pure Beams of Light" Buddha.  The
Chinese for this text  after Great Light Buddha
has "Great Brightness" Buddha, and then Jewelled
Appearance Buddha, so it has seven Buddhas while
the Sanskrit has six.  Perhaps the names in Sanskrit
were originally mahaketu "Great Brightness"
Tathagata before ratnaketu "Jewelled Appearance"
Thus Come One (no maha).  The two names in which
ketu appeared with two different meanings could
have been combined by accident in the course of
manuscript recopying.  Fortunately the Chinese
Buddhist tradition remains unbroken to this day.
The Chinese translations were made at dates
earlier than the oldest surviving Sanskrit
manuscripts.  Therefore, the Chinese texts are used
to correct errors that are found in the Sanskrit.