Salutation to the Twenty-Eight Buddhas

The following stanzas are recited in salutation to the 28 Buddhas who have appeared in this world during various periods. The Buddhist scriptures record the names of these Buddhas. Going back into distant past of the universe which has appeared and disintegrated countless times, the Buddha visualized innumerable periods of earlier Buddhas.

The Buddhas in the past are infinite in number. Of the known 28 Buddhas, only four Buddhas belong to this present world cycle, the fourth being Gotama the Buddha whose teachings we now follow. In time to come and during the course of the present universe itself, one more Buddha will appear. He will be the Maitreya Buddha. The present world system would thus have a total of five Buddhas. This clearly shows that Buddhists do not subscribe to the idea that the world will end in the near future.

Buddhists pay their homage in veneration to all these Buddhas. In essence, all these Buddhas are exactly the same as the Buddha of this world cycle. They have all realized the same Universal Truth (Dhamma) that Sakyamuni Buddha had realized and they have all His qualities.

Atthavisati Buddha Vandana
Pali	English Translation
Vande Tanhamkaram Buddham Vande Medhamkaram munim Saranamkaram munim vande Dipamkaram jinam name	I respect Tanhamkaram, the wise. I respect Medhamkaram, the sage, Saranamkaram the sage, I respect. Dipamkaram the conqueror, I respect.
Vande Kondanna sattharam Vande Mangala nayakam Vande Sumana sambuddham Vande Revata nayakam	I respect Kondanna, the teacher. I respect Mangala, the leader. I respect Sumana, the Fully Enlightened. I respect Revata, the leader.
Vande Sobhita sambuddham Anomadassi munim name Vande Paduma sambuddham Vande Narada Nayakam	I respect Sobhita, the Fully Enlightened. Anomadassi the sage, I respect. ­ I respect Paduma, the Fully Enlightened. I respect Narada, the leader.
Padumuttaram munim vande Vande Sumedha nayakam Vande Sujata sambuddham Piyadassi munim name	Padumuttaram the sage, I respect. I respect Sumedha the leader. I respect Sujata, the Fully Enlightened. Piyadassi the sage, I respect.
Atthadassi munim vande Dhammadassi jinam name Vande Siddhattha sattharam Vande Tissa mahamunim	Atthadassi the sage, I respect. Dhammadassi the conqueror, I respect. I respect Siddhattha, the teacher. I respect Tissa, the great sage.
Vande Phussa mahaviram Vande Vipassi nayakam Sikhi mahamunim vande Vande Vessabhu nayakam	I respect Phussa the great hero. I respect Vipassi, the leader. Sikkhi, the great sage, I respect. I respect Vessabhu, the leader.
Kakusandham munim vande Vande Konagama nayakam Kassapam sugatam vande Vande Gotama nayakam	Kakusandha the sage, I respect. I respect Konagama, the leader. Kassapa the Welcome One, I respect. I respect the Gotama, the leader.
Atthavisati me Buddha Nibbanamata dayaka Namami sirasa Niccam Te mam rakkhantu sabbada	These twenty eight Buddhas, The Givers of Deathless Nibbana. Ever I salute with my head. May they ever protect me:

Source

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