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Dipankara Buddha — Of the Past Adorned Eon
Buddhist Bodhisattvas

Dipankara Buddha

燃灯古佛 · 燃燈古佛

Of the Past Adorned Eon

Divine Office

  • Buddha of the past era and the preceptor who bestowed the prophecy upon Sakyamuni Buddha
  • Named 'Lamp-Lighter' because all surroundings shone with radiant light at his birth
  • Guardian of the Dharma lineage, authenticating practitioners' spiritual attainments
  • Dispeller of sentient beings' ignorance, igniting the lamp of wisdom within the heart

Origin & Legend

Dipankara Buddha’s Sanskrit name is 'Dipankara', meaning 'Lamp-Kindler' or 'Lamp-Adorner'. According to the Ruiying Benqi Jing (Sutra on the Original Causes of Auspicious Signs), when Sakyamuni Buddha was still the Bodhisattva Rutila, he offered five lotus blossoms to Dipankara Buddha and, seeing muddy ground ahead, spread his own hair upon the earth so the Buddha might tread upon it without soiling his feet. In response, Dipankara Buddha prophesied: 'In a future age, you shall attain Buddhahood and be known as Sakyamuni Buddha.' Thus, Dipankara Buddha is venerated as Sakyamuni’s preceptor and enshrined as the Buddha of the past within the triad of Buddhas spanning past, present, and future. At Tanzhe Temple in Beijing, the Pilu Pavilion houses the Dipankara Buddha Pagoda; legend holds that upon the temple’s founding, this pagoda spontaneously emitted brilliant light—hence the monastery’s name.

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