The name Amitabh means "Infinite Light". Amitabh's Discriminating Wisdom conquers the poison of the passions - all cravings, covetousness, greed and lust. With this wisdom, the disciple discerns all beings separately yet knows every being as an individual expression of the one. Amitabh, the "Buddha of Infinite Light," personifies the transmutation of passion into all encompassing luminous awareness. Seated in his celestial paradise called Sukhavati, the "realm of bliss," Amitabh rests his hands the gesture of meditation while holding the begging bowl of an ordained Buddhist monk - a symbol of infinite openness and receptivity.

In the Mandala of Dhyani Buddhas, Amitabh is positioned to the west. His color is rose (red), the color of the setting sun. Amitabh rules over the element of fire and personifies the Skandha of perception. Thus, the eye and the faculty of seeing are associated with Amitabh. The peacock, with "eyes" on its plumes, is his throne-bearer. The peacock symbolizes grace. Amitabh's symbol is the Padma, or Lotus, placed between him and Vairochana in this Mandala. In Buddhism, the Lotus can symbolize many things, including spiritual unfoldment, purity, the true nature of beings realized through enlightenment, and compassion, the purified form of passion. Devotees aspire to be reborn in Amitabh's Western Paradise, known as Sukhavati, where conditions are ideal for attaining enlightenment. His mudra is the Dhyana (Meditation) Mudra. His Bija is Hrih and his name is Om Amitabh Hrih. Some consider Amitabh to be synonymous with Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life. Others honor Amitayus as a form of Amitabh or as a separate Buddha. Amitayus is usually depicted holding a vessel of the elixir of immortal life.

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