Another Question for the Indians
Or anyone else who happens to know: what does "Amitabh" mean?
...[added later]... i thought i had deleted this post, but apparently not. Functionally, this is the answer to my question.
Of course, it doesn't really answer the question of why one of the Big Buddhas at Bulguksa has the same name as the Big B of Bollywood, since according to the linked article, the latter's parents are not Buddhist. I don't suppose that rules out naming one's son after a celestial Buddha. (I know a Jewish kid named "Christopher.") But it does suggest the possibility that "Amitabh" is an old Hindu name that predates and was incorporated into Buddhism.
Well, so maybe it's better I didn't delete it. Maybe somebody knows something.
...[added later]... i thought i had deleted this post, but apparently not. Functionally, this is the answer to my question.
Of course, it doesn't really answer the question of why one of the Big Buddhas at Bulguksa has the same name as the Big B of Bollywood, since according to the linked article, the latter's parents are not Buddhist. I don't suppose that rules out naming one's son after a celestial Buddha. (I know a Jewish kid named "Christopher.") But it does suggest the possibility that "Amitabh" is an old Hindu name that predates and was incorporated into Buddhism.
Well, so maybe it's better I didn't delete it. Maybe somebody knows something.
posted by GB at 6:53 PM
1 Comments:
Amitabha: Sanskrit word, literally means boundless light and boundless life.
This explains that the Hindu name Amitabha need not be connected with Buddhist parents. It would be interesting to kow how this word became prominent in Buddhism.
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