From this, the ten titles of Śākyamuni, the ten faculties of the Buddha, and the thirty-two features of the Buddha came to be regarded as the object of remembrance. By the constant and incessant
anusmṛti the early disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha thus kept alive the memory of their master.
Meditative Nianfo
The simple practice of remembrance, adoration, and trust in Śākyamuni Buddha gradually developed into an actual visualization of his features and virtues. Such meditation was directed not only toward Śākyamuni but also toward such Buddhas as Amitābha (Jpn., Amida), Bhaiṣajyaguru, and Mahāvairocana, and such bodhisattvas as Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya. One of the earliest sūtras to advocate such a practice was the Pratyutpannasamādhi Sūtra (Chin., Banzhou sanmei jing). In this sūtra (as well as in many other scriptures) the subject of nianfo came to be Amitābha and other Buddhas rather than Śākyamuni, and birth in Amitābha's Pure Land rather than in the various Buddhist heavens. The practice of nianfo directed toward Amitābha Buddha is also emphasized in the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra (Chin., Wuliangshou jing; Sūtra on the Buddha of infinite Life), the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra (Chin., Guan wuliangshou jing, or Meditation sūtra on the Buddha of immeasurable life), and the Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra (Chin., Emituo jing; Sūtra on the Buddha Amitābha).
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