The 48 Great Vows of Amitabha Buddha

Developed when he was a Bhiksu named Dharmakara

1. If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be hell beings, hungry ghosts and animals in my Pureland, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
2. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would fall again into the three lower realms after their death, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
3. If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would be of pure gold color, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
4. If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would be of equal shape and color (some beautiful and some ugly), then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
5. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not know fully their past lives, or at least know everything that would have been in billions nayutas kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
6. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Heavenly Eye, or at least see billions nayutas Purelands of Buddhas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
7. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Heavenly Ear, or at least hear the teachings of billions nayutas Buddhas and adhere to all these teachings, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
8. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Wisdom of Reading Others' Minds, or at least know the mind of all sentient beings in the Purelands of billions nayutas Buddhas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
9. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Supernatural Feet, or at least be able to pass billions nayutas Purelands of Buddhas in a flash of thought, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
10. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would have any attachment to their body, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
11. If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not dwell in the Right Samadhi, and would not attain Nirvana for sure, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
12. If I would become a Buddha, and yet my brightness would be measurably limited and could not shine upon at least billions nayutas of Buddha-Purelands, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
13. If I would become a Buddha, and yet my life-span would be measurably limited and could not last for at least billions nayutas kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
14. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the number of Sravakas in my Pureland would be countable and even could be counted by all sentient beings in a great chiliocosm turning into Pratyekabuddhas and working together for hundreds and thousands of kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
15. If I would become a Buddha, then the life-spans of heavenly beings in my Pureland would be uncountably long, unless it is otherwise according to their own will. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
16. If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be any heavenly being in my Pureland who would hear even just the name of any wrong doing, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
17. If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all uncountably many Buddhas in the ten directions would call my name in praise, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
18. If I would become a Buddha, then any sentient being in any one of the ten directions who would earnestly believe and willingly wish to be born in my Pureland, even if for only the duration of ten thoughts, would be born there. Otherwise, I would not attain Full Enlightenment. With the only exception of those sentient beings who either have committed the five deadly sins or have censured the Right Dharma.
19. If I would become a Buddha, and yet I and all my retinue would not encircle and appear before all those sentient beings at the end of their lives in the ten directions who would have developed the Bodhicitta, have accumulated all kinds of merits and have earnestly vowed to be born in my Pureland, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
20. If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be any sentient being in any one of the ten directions who would have heard my name, have dwelt his thoughts upon my Pureland, have cultivated all kinds of virtuous deeds and have turned the merits toward the wish to be born in my Pureland, whose very wish would not be satisfied, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
21. If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would have completely developed the thirty-two physical marks of a cakravati, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
22. If I would become a Buddha, then all those Bodhisattvas who would come from other Buddha-lands to be born in my Pureland, would eventually achieve Eka-jati-prati-Buddha, unless according to their fundamental vows, for the sake of all sentient beings, they would wear the armor of Great Vows, accumulate all virtuous deeds, emancipate all beings, visit all Buddha-lands in order to practice the path of Bodhisattvas, give offerings to Buddhas in the ten directions, instruct and convert innumerably many sentient beings and settle them on the insuperable right path of Truth, surpass the ordinary tracks, carry out the functions of each Bodhisattva Bhumi, and practice without delay the virtues of Samantabhadra. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
23. If I would become a Buddha, and the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland in my Grace would make offerings to all Buddhas, and yet they could not reach each one of the countless billion nayutas Buddha-lands during one meal time, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
24. If I would become a Buddha and the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would display their virtuous deeds before all Buddhas, and yet they could not obtain everything as they would wish to make the offerings, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
25. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland could not preach the All Encompassing Wisdom, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
26. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would not have the body of Vajra Narayana, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
27. If I would become a Buddha, then in my Pureland all heavenly beings and everything would be clean, beautiful, lustrous, of extraordinary colors and shapes, and wonderful beyond description. If the numbers or names of all these wondrous beings and things in my Pureland could be clearly distinguished by some sentient beings, even those who have the Heavenly Eyes, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
28. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, even those of little merits, could not know and see the countless varieties of luster and the four-million-li height of the Bodhi-tree thereof, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
29. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland could not obtain wisdom or the ability to debate, after they had been taught the Sutras and had read and preached them, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
30. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would be of limited Wisdom or ability to debate, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
31. If I would become a Buddha, then my land would be clean and pure, and all the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions could be seen from my Pureland, just like looking at the image of one's face in a clear mirror. If this would not be the case then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
32. If I would become a Buddha, then everything in my Pureland, from the ground up to the sky, the palaces, the tall buildings, the ponds and brooks, the trees and flowers would be made of countless varieties of jewels and hundreds and thousands of kinds of incense. Their ornaments would be wondrous beyond those of heavenly beings, and their fragrances would spread throughout all the worlds in the ten directions, and Bodhisattvas who would have smelled them would all practice the Buddha's Way. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
33. If I would become a Buddha, then all sentient beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions, upon their bodies being touched by my brightness, would become softer and tender in body and mind than heavenly beings. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
34. If I would become a Buddha, and yet all sentient beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions, upon hearing my name, would not obtain the Dharma Patience of Non-born of Bodhisattvas and the various deep Dharanis, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
35. If I would become a Buddha, and in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions there would be some women who would have heard my name, become happy and faithful, developed Bodhicitta, become tired of a female body and yet would obtain a female form again after her death, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
36. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions would hear my name and, after their death, would constantly practice the Pure Conducts until they become fully enlightened. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
37. If I would become a Buddha, then all heavenly beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions would hear my name and show their respect by doing the five-point touch-down prostration, become happy and faithful, and practice the ways of Bodhisattvas. All heavenly beings and human beings would also show respect. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
38. If I would become a Buddha, then heavenly beings in my Pureland would get instantaneously clothing which they desire, wondrous clothing that would be in accordance with the Dharma as Lord Buddha has praised, and the clothing would naturally be put on them. If there would be tailoring, dyeing or washing, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
39. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the happiness of heavenly beings in my Pureland would be inferior to that of a leakless Bhiksu, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
40. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, whenever they would desire to see the countless, wondrous Purelands of Buddhas in the ten directions, instantaneously would have their wishes fulfilled. They would see all the Purelands reflected in the jewel trees, just like looking at the image of their faces in a clear mirror. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
41. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, from the moment that they would hear my name until they would become Buddhas, would have defective faculties or lack some faculties, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
42. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would obtain the Samadhi of Pure Liberation, and as they would dwell in this Samadhi and think of making offerings to countless and inconceivable Buddhas, the world-honored ones, it would be accomplished instantaneously without their leaving the Samadhi. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
43. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would be born in noble families after their death. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
44. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would become happy and vigorously practice the Bodhisattva ways and accumulate all the virtuous deeds. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
45. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would obtain the Samadhi of Universal Equality, and they would dwell in this Samadhi until they become Buddhas, in the meanwhile they would constantly see all countless and inconceivable Tathagatas. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
46. If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would naturally hear the Dharmas that they would desire according to their Great Vows. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
47. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would not instantaneously attain Avaivartika (the stage of No Regress), then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
48. If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would not instantaneously obtain the First, Second, and Third Dharma Patience, nor could they instantaneously attain No Regress in all Buddha Dharmas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.