Sukhavati

Sukhāvatī or the Western Paradise refers to the western pure land of Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. Sukhāvatī translates to "Land of Bliss."

In other languages

There are a number of translations for Sukhāvatī. The Tibetan name is Dewachen "Blissful Land" (Wylie: bde ba can ). In Chinese it is called Jílè (極樂, "Ultimate Bliss"), Ānlè (安樂, "Peaceful Bliss"), or Xītiān (西天, "Western Heaven"). In Japanese it is called Gokuraku (極楽, "Ultimate Bliss") or Anraku (安楽, "Peaceful Bliss"). In Korean, it is called the "Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" (Hangul: 서방극락정토; hanja: 西方極楽浄土; RR: Seobang Geungnak Jeongto) or simply Jeongto "Pure Land" (Hangul: 정토; hanja: 浄土). In Vietnamese, it is called "Cực lạc" (Peaceful Bliss) or "Tây Phương Tịnh Độ" (Western Pure Land).

Nine levels of birth

In the final part of the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra, Gautama Buddha discusses the nine levels into which those born into the pure land are categorized.

Buddhist Funerals

In Tibetan Buddhism, the world of Sukhavati is invoked during Buddhist funerals as a favorable destination for the deceased. Such rituals are often accompanied with the tantric technique of phowa "transference of consciousness" to the pure land of Amitābha performed by a lama on the behalf of the departed. Halkias (2013:148) explains: