What is the significance of the 28 Buddhas within Buddhism? Recently, I discovered in the Pāli Canon there is a text titled Buddhavamsa that describes the lives of 28 Buddhas.  Now, I am familiar with the significance of Gautama Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, however not the previous 27 Buddhas.  I am curious, what is the religious significance of the previous 27 Buddhas for teaching  the dharma?  How does reflecting on the 27 or 29 Buddhas help one reach enlightenment?



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.
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) for 28 Buddha to appear. So we can reflect on this and think how urgently we need to practice the Dhamma.