In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmākara is described as a former king who, having come into contact with Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokeśvararāja, renounced his throne and became a monk.

For five eons (kalpas), Dharmākara contemplated all the qualities of all the pure buddhafields (realms created a Buddha existing outside of ordinary reality) throughout the cosmos.

[11][12] Among these "past vows", Dharmākara ensured that all beings born in his land would never fall into lower realms, and would possess golden divine bodies with many superpowers.

This vow, along with some other passages, made it possible to argue that all kinds of people would attain birth in the pure land, even very wicked, deluded and defiled persons.

[14] Barring that one did not commit the five grave acts (patricide, matricide, the murder of an arhat, harming a Buddha, causing schism in the sangha), this scripture seems to open up the possibility of birth in the pure land to everyone who faithfully thinks of the Amitābha even just ten times.

[14] A modified version of this universalist teaching (which even removes the exclusion of beings who comitt the five grave acts) would become a central doctrine of Pure Land Buddhism and remains part of its lasting appeal.

[11] According to the sutras, those aspiring to be reborn there should cultivate bodhicitta, listen to Amitābha’s name, contemplate him, pray for rebirth in his land, and accumulate merit as a basis for their future birth.

According to this sūtra, rebirth in Sukhāvatī is achieved by sincerely holding Amitābha’s name in mind with undistracted focus for one to seven days—an application of the ancient meditation known as buddhānusmṛti (recollection of the Buddha).

Kenneth Tanaka notes that "Thirty one Sanskrit texts and over one hundred Chinese and Tibetan translations refer to Amitābha* and/or Sukhavati.

*"[19] The earliest Buddhist sutra mentioning Amitābha is the translation into Chinese of the Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra (般舟三昧經; Bozhōu Sānmèi Jīng) by the Kushan monk Lokakṣema.

[29] The Contemplation Sūtra is believed to have been translated into Chinese by Kalayāśas in the early fifth century and belongs to a group of texts focused on the visualization of Buddhas.

[30] Unlike other Pure Land sūtras, the Contemplation Sūtra emphasizes meditative practices to have a vision of Amitābha, including thirteen stages of visualization.

The Dasabhumikavibhāsā (十住毘婆沙論, T.1521), which is traditionally ascribed to Nāgārjuna and survives only in a Chinese translation by Kumārajīva (344-413), teaches the "easy" practice of maintaining constant mindfulness of Amitābha Buddha as a way to attain birth in the pure land.

This, along with evidence which suggests that the two main Pure Land sutras were written in the Gandhari language, indicates that Amitābha rose to prominence in Gandharan Buddhism (and in the greater Kushana Empire) during the first century CE.

[41][38] Other scholars, especially Japanese authors, cite various passages from earlier Buddhist sources which mention Shakyamuni Buddha radiating light rays and which state that his lifespan is immeasurable.

[41][42] One of their sutras is cited by Vasumitra (in a passage that was translated three times by different Chinese figures) as stating that "the form body (rupakaya), supernatural power (prabhāva) and lifespan (ayus) of a Buddha is unlimited (ananta).

[53] In China, "Buddha recollection" (Skt: buddhānusmṛti, Ch: nianfo) based on Amitābha became the central practice of Pure Land Buddhism, a tradition which developed gradually through the writings and teachings of several key Chinese monks that lived from the Northern Wei (386–534) period to the Tang dynasty (618 to 907).

They argued that this practice was effective due to Amitābha's compassionate Other Power, which was the dominant cause for one's birth in the pure land (where one could attain Buddhahood much more swiftly and easily).

During the Song dynasty (960–1279), Tiantai monks such as Shengchang, Ciyun Zunshi, and Siming Zhili, founded Pure Land societies which focused on the recitation of Amitābha's name.

Aside from being a popular chant and meditation, this phrase is also seen as auspicious and is reproduced in many ways including calligraphy scrolls, public inscriptions, charms, amulets, altarpieces and electronic devices.

In this esoteric buddhological schema, Amitābha is seen as part of the Lotus Buddha Family, which is associated with the color red, the Western direction, the aggregate of perception (saṃjñā), the defilement of craving and the bījamantra "Hrih".

[80] The composition of Amitābha focused works was popular among major Tibetan Buddhist figures such as Sakya Pandita, Dolpopa, Tsongkhapa and Karma Chagme.

[7] Birth in Amitābha's Sukhavati remains an important goal for many Tibetan Buddhists, especially laypersons who commonly revere Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara and Padmasambhava as three bodies of a single Buddha.

Amitabha's main mantra in Shingon Buddhism is Om amirita teizei kara um (Japanese: オン・アミリタ・テイゼイ・カラ・ウン), which represents the underlying Sanskrit form: oṃ amṛta-teje hara hūṃ.

According to Pure Land figures like Tanluan and Shinran, the Name is not merely a conventional label or word, but embodies the totality of Amida's virtue, wisdom, and compassion.

[95][96] The Name is deeply intertwined with Thusness (Dharmakaya) and serves as a bridge between the ultimate reality of Buddhahood and the limited experience of ordinary beings.

Shinran further elaborated that the Name is inseparable from the Dharma-nature itself, meaning that reciting "Namu-Amida-Butsu" is not just an act of devotion but a direct engagement with the ultimate truth.

[100] The Infinite Life sutra lists twelve names of Amitābha:[100][4] The surviving Sanskrit edition of the Sutra of Infinite Life meanwhile has a different list with eighteen names:[102] When depicted in the standing position (upon a lotus pedestal), Amitābha is often shown with left arm bare and extended downward with thumb and forefinger touching, with the right hand facing outward also with thumb and forefinger touching.

[104] Some common marks seen in art include rays of light (vyāmaprabhā), an aureole or large halo (prabhāvalī), his urna (spiral or circle in between his eyebrows), and a circular symbol (sometimes a swastika) on his chest (this is called Śrīvatsa).

[105][8] According to Katsumi Tanabe, Gandhāran Buddhist art also depicted Amitābha in four other lesser known triads:[8] In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is commonly replaced with Vajrapani or Padmasambhava.