Of the great number of so-called "celestial Buddhas" -- that is, Buddhas who inhabit paradise-like realms in other parts of our universe -- one of the earliest to appear in Mahayana literature is the Buddha Aksobhya ("the imperturbable"). Yet a thorough study of this figure has yet to be made. Understandably，perhaps, Aksobhya has been almost completely overshadowed by another celestial figure，the Buddha Amitabha, who presides over the Western counterpart of Aksobhya's "Eastern Paradise". Given the overwhelming importance of Amitabha in East Asia and significant impact of East Asian priorities and paradigms on the study of Buddhism in the West，it is not surprising that Amitabha has often been viewed as the most representative member of the pantheon of celestial Buddhas.
Yet Aksobhya was clearly a major figure in Indian Mahayana Buddhism，and the fact that he makes cameo appearances in several early texts (e.g.，the Vimalakirtinirdesa and the Astasahasrika -- prajnaparamita -- sutra) demonstrates that his existence and his importance were presupposed by a number of writers of Mahayana sutras. Moreover，it is the Buddha-field of Aksobhya, and not that of Amitabha, which exhibits important transitional features between the "Saha world" of Sakyamuni and what would come to be viewed as the prototypical "pure land". In short，by giving careful attention to the particular features of Aksobhya's world we may be able to gain a greater understanding of Indian "Pure Land Buddhism" in its emergent phase.
In this paper we will examine in detail what is said about Aksobhya's world in several Mahayana sutras, paying particular attention to the one text that is devoted entirely to his realm，the Aksobhya-vyuha. We will consider Aksobhya's relationship with his devotees and how they came to be reborn in his world-system，the place of Arhatship and Buddhahood as religious goals among those who inhabit his land，and the degree to which Aksobhya's realm of Abhirati is, or is not，properly characterized as a "paradise" at all. In the course of this discussion we will highlight both similarities and differences between Abhirati and Sukhavati，the realm of the Buddha Amitabha.
In closing we will focus on what the early Mahayana Buddhist(s) who produced the Aksobhya-vyuha considered to be the characteristics of an ideal world，and how contemporary Buddhists might make sense of these views. Some observations will also be offered on ways in which Aksobhya's realm might serve as a model for Buddhist activities in contemporary society.
