<p>I came across this webpage which is a concise guide to chanting in salutation of the 28 Buddhas. It mentions that the Buddhas of the past are infinite in number; however 28 is the number of <strong>known</strong> Buddhas and it lists the name and a trait of each of the 28. Gotama Buddha and the 3 that preceded him are the Buddhas of our current world cycle. Maitreya will be the upcoming and last Buddha of our current world cycle. </p>

<p>It is noted that all of the Buddhas have exactly the same qualities. So one can see that reflecting on the qualities of Gotama Buddha can be expanded to reflecting on the qualities of all the known 28 Buddhas and indeed all the infinite number of Buddhas known and unknown.  This can give one a sense of the continuation of the Dhamma over incalculable periods of time, which could lead an individual to have greater faith in the teachings. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.jaibheem.com/BV-Page-9.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.jaibheem.com/BV-Page-9.htm</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-28T14:56:26.523Z
2014-12-28T14:56:26.523Z
Robin111
<p>As a quick answer, I think we can think about how rare it is to have a Buddha and his teachings. It took so many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpa_%28aeon%29" rel="nofollow">Kalpas (aeon)</a> for 28 Buddha to appear. So we can reflect on this and think how urgently we need to practice the Dhamma. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-13T04:24:50.157Z
Just an FYI... I didn't give the down vote.  Your answer starts off on a good point, which I believe would integrate nicely as a theme in a more detailed answer.  Thanks for the answer.
DharmaEater
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-13T06:28:36.873Z
Sorry NeilD. Yes wanted to add and elaborate more. Thanks
samnish
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-12T19:07:13.443Z
2014-07-12T21:34:55.353Z
2014-07-12T21:34:55.353Z
samnish
<p>Recently, I discovered in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81li_Canon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pāli Canon</a> there is a text titled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhavamsa" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Buddhavamsa</a> that describes the lives of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_twenty-eight_Buddhas" rel="nofollow noreferrer">28 Buddhas</a>.  Now, I am familiar with the significance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gautama Buddha</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Maitreya Buddha</a>, however not the previous 27 Buddhas.  I am curious, what is the religious significance of the previous 27 Buddhas for teaching  the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_(Buddhism)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">dharma</a>?  How does reflecting on the 27 or 29 Buddhas help one reach enlightenment?</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DR9o7.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>Buddhist men at the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, paying homage to the 28 Buddhas described in Chapter 27 of the Buddhavamsa. Courtesy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_twenty-eight_Buddhas#mediaviewer/File:28Buddhas-01.JPG" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DiverDave</a>.</p>

<theravada><the-buddha>
What is the significance of the 28 Buddhas within Buddhism?
# What is the significance of the 28 Buddhas within Buddhism?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-12)

Recently, I discovered in the [Pāli Canon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81li_Canon) there is a text titled [Buddhavamsa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhavamsa) that describes the lives of [28 Buddhas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_twenty-eight_Buddhas). Now, I am familiar with the significance of [Gautama Buddha](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha) and [Maitreya Buddha](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya), however not the previous 27 Buddhas. I am curious, what is the religious significance of the previous 27 Buddhas for teaching the [dharma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_(Buddhism))? How does reflecting on the 27 or 29 Buddhas help one reach enlightenment?

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/DR9o7.jpg)

Buddhist men at the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, paying homage to the 28 Buddhas described in Chapter 27 of the Buddhavamsa. Courtesy of [DiverDave](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_twenty-eight_Buddhas#mediaviewer/File:28Buddhas-01.JPG).

**Tags:** theravada, the-buddha


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-12-28. Score: 2

I came across this webpage which is a concise guide to chanting in salutation of the 28 Buddhas. It mentions that the Buddhas of the past are infinite in number; however 28 is the number of **known** Buddhas and it lists the name and a trait of each of the 28. Gotama Buddha and the 3 that preceded him are the Buddhas of our current world cycle. Maitreya will be the upcoming and last Buddha of our current world cycle.

It is noted that all of the Buddhas have exactly the same qualities. So one can see that reflecting on the qualities of Gotama Buddha can be expanded to reflecting on the qualities of all the known 28 Buddhas and indeed all the infinite number of Buddhas known and unknown. This can give one a sense of the continuation of the Dhamma over incalculable periods of time, which could lead an individual to have greater faith in the teachings.

<http://www.jaibheem.com/BV-Page-9.htm>


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-07-12. Score: 2

As a quick answer, I think we can think about how rare it is to have a Buddha and his teachings. It took so many [Kalpas (aeon)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpa_%28aeon%29) for 28 Buddha to appear. So we can reflect on this and think how urgently we need to practice the Dhamma.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Just an FYI... I didn't give the down vote.  Your answer starts off on a good point, which I believe would integrate nicely as a theme in a more detailed answer.  Thanks for the answer.  
> **username_2**: Sorry NeilD. Yes wanted to add and elaborate more. Thanks  

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