 At the beginning of the Larger Sutra, Sakyamuni’s disciple Ānanda observes, from the splendor and serenity apparent in the Buddha’s countenance, that the Buddha has entered the samadhi of great tranquility (Jp. daijakujō, in the Tang translation titled Sutra of the Tathagata of Immeasurable Life) and requests him to explain its significance. Sakyamuni proceeds to deliver the teaching of Amida Buddha. In other words, Sakyamuni has attained the reality that is the essential quality of all Buddhas—in a commentary on the Larger Sutra it is called the “place where all Buddhas abide”—and on this basis he reveals the story of Amida, for Amida is the primordial Buddha who embodies the essence of all Buddhas. From the perspective of this sutra, were it not for Amida, whose Buddhahood lies at the heart of the samadhi of great tranquility, Sakyamuni himself would not be Buddha. At the same time, were it not for Sakyamuni, the teaching of Amida would not be disclosed to the world.